Powerless
by Rubylicious22
Summary: Link and Zelda's best friend, Victoria, sets out on an epic quest to try and prove Ganondorf has changed. But a greater, evil force, is trying to take her for his own uses. Too bad no one told her she has a deadly secret. Can they save her AND Hyrule?
1. The Great King of Evil

**Prologue**

He was a king. He had killed so many in his triumph. Looking around his beautiful palace, filled with beautiful jewels, sculptures, and his treasures…anything he could ever want, he realized….Something was missing…something special…something vital. Scanning his hall, he caught sight of a broken bottle. That bottle had contained a fairy, aiding the very boy that sealed him away in the sacred realm. But he had escaped. His mind turned toward the epic battle that had taken place in this very room. That boy…so young…so _brave… _

The king scowled at the very thought of being defeated by not one but _two _young teenagers. Yes, the princess of his very homeland aided the boy. Holder of the Triforce of wisdom…the king stood and took hold of the already broken bottle then hurled it to the wall.

Whatever was missing was eating at his very soul. He walked over to the window and looked over at what should be his land. Scanning every aspect of his life, he could not find anything so significant enough to trouble him so. Hyrule town was bustling with the normal stimulation.

He envied them, so blissful and full of life when he had nothing to be happy about. He noticed a girl running to her older brother.

That was it. He had no one to love, to care for. He pushed away from the window. Who would give him a chance? He had done so much to deserve this…this Eternal isolation from the universe. The king sighed. He had to try. Nothing could hurt more than this. Ganondorf prayed to Din, and then walked through his great stone gates.

...dividerdividerdivider...

So...Do I go on! WHAT! I'm a bit skeptical. I haven't changed the prologue much from the original, but the rest of the story underwent a complete makeover. Let me know, please. I appreciate anything you can throw at me, guys ;)

ALSO PLEAASE READ CH1 EVEN IF YOU DIDN"T LIKE THE PROLOUGE! the story deviates from Ganondorf's POV, and takes a less serious tone :) THEN review and such so I know to go on, please. THanks somuch!

xNikkix

PS.

It wont let me make a divider, so, there you have it. The pathetic excuse for...a divider. :((


	2. 1 The Sacred Seal

1.

"Link! Why can't you catch the dang ball?" Victoria asked angrily. Zelda walked over, annoyed.

"Victoria, it was only a game." That got Victoria mad. Zelda always took Link's side. They were only seventeen yet, almost magically, in love. In a small way, Victoria was jealous. She had never even had a boyfriend. While Zelda and Victoria bickered, Link spoke up.

"Guys, its okay, really. I never catch anything." He said sheepishly. "_Some courage"_ thought Victoria.

Link bore the Triforce of Courage, which granted him a pure and noble spirit, to always acted in the stead of the weak. His honor was only bestowed to the people who were chosen by the Goddesses. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it symbolized a great danger was to come. The blonde, green-tunic wearing youth wasn't worried, and neither was Zelda for that matter. _She_ had the Triforce of Wisdom, which gave her access to the Goddess of knowledge, law, and water, Nayru. Zelda already knew so much, but if need be, Nayru would always guide her.

The Goddess had come from a distant nebula, and created the lands of Hyrule. Din, the Goddess of Fire, Power, and Spirit, shaped the earth and land, and gave warmth to the barren land. Farore, the Goddess of Courage, Life, and Purity, breathed life into the land, covering it with trees and grass. Nayru created their servants, and spread them across the land, in all different shapes and sizes. She gave them knowledge and free will, and the ability to speak and learn. She then gave a great rain, of which created the Great Lake Hylia, and many rivers across the land. They bestowed upon their people the Sacred Triforce, a golden triangle that symbolized their power. They split it into three separate triangles, with a hole in the middle, making a golden tetrahedron.

As the Goddesses had better things to do, they left the power of the Triforce sleeping in the Sacred Realm. If ever a servant of theirs wished for something, the power of the Triforce would grant any wish. But if someone with a heart without balance between Power, Courage and Wisdom touched the sacred artifact, the Triforce would split into three pieces…going to the people whoever had the most of their corresponding piece. People often wondered why their was a hole in the Triforce, but it was never addressed. Like Zelda and Link's flamboyance about the Triforce of Power and their Triforces being reborn with them.

Zelda need not even ask Nayru if the Triforce of Power, the Triforce bestowed to a man of great evil, had not been since The Sealing. The Sealing was a time where Link and Zelda's ancestors had defeated the holder of the Triforce of Power, The King of Evil Ganondorf and sealed him within the Sacred Realm to be executed years later. He had tried to take over all of Hyrule, and give ultimate power to his people, the Gerudo. Some say he was insane, but truly, he was mad with power.

Zelda smiled at Link, who smiled at Victoria, who began laughing hysterically. The couple followed suit.

Soon, the argument from five minutes ago was a thing of the past. "Zelda, I'm getting so hungry, I could eat a whole Octorok!" Link said with delight. Victoria joined in too.

"Yeah, the Princess shouldn't go hungry!" It was true, a proud and loving ruler; Zelda was the princess of Hyrule. She really fit the bill of perfect. Beautiful standing at five foot seven, golden hair and crystal blue eyes, and even though she always wore the same dress, her purple and white kirtle, she really made it work. Of course, Victoria wasn't nearly as gorgeous as her best friend, but she seemed to turn heads as well. Victoria was…smaller than most girls their age in terms of height, had inky black that stood out anywhere, chocolate brown eyes and just like Zelda, had to wear the same thing every day to separate her from the "Normal" people of Hyrule, as her parents were very high up in the Hyrulian court. Victoria's getup was a red dress, ripped above the knees since she was so adventurous. She had a dark tan belt around her waist, with a sparkling Triforce in the center, and wore Red-and-Black flat sneakers.

The three best friends hopped on Link's trusty, brown-furred horse, Epona, to Hyrule town. A great mass of people headed to greet them, as they were in company of the princess, and would do anything to get on the good side of the Goddesses. Zelda tried to smile. Her people were so good to her. Zelda looked over to her best friend, who seemed a little distracted, staring at the ruins of Ganondorf tower.

She said to Victoria, "Is there something bothering you? You seem…troubled." Victoria wanted to paint on a smile and hide the fact that she was dying to ask Zelda about something that had happened to her the other day, but, she couldn't lie to her best friend.

"Yeah, Zelda, I've got to ask you something, but, lets wait, we're here," She stalled. Zelda looked puzzled, but focused on ordering her friends something to eat. Zelda greeted her servants and requested a table. Link and Victoria always questioned this, because, who else would eat there? It's her castle! Regardless, they got a good meal. Link, as promised, ate a whole Octorok, a Hylian native animal that somewhat resembled a squat octopus merged with a deku sprout, as it had a gaping hole where it's mouth should have been.

Zelda stuck to a good elixir soup. Victoria ate a cuccoo platter, along with a baked potato. Link didn't mind a helping either. When they were all content, Zelda asked Link to tell the guards that they would make their way to the library.

Then, she turned to Victoria and said, "Victoria, I must know. What was it that was troubling you so?"

Zelda sounded worried, so Victoria gave a quick smile and whispered, "Link can't know…It's….." Victoria was uneasy with her lie. Zelda could tell too.

"Victoria," she whispered back. "I know you're lying. You're no good at it. If Link _really_ isn't supposed to hear us, then tell me in the poetry section once we get into the library. Link will _never _look there. He just _hates _poetry!" Zelda flashed a timid smile, and Victoria shook her head in agreement.

In the maze of Hyrule castle, up a spiral staircase and through a grand wooden door, laid the palace library. The library had thousands upon thousands of books, ranging from ancient history to Zelda's diary (placed there as a prank by Link). The group walked through and Zelda turned to Link and whispered something purposely inaudible. Link pretended to know what she said and ran out dutifully.

Zelda motioned to Victoria and they met in the poetry section for added privacy. There was a table in each section, in the shape of the Hylian symbol, which appeared frequently in Hyrule castle. The Hylian symbol was an eagle, proud and strong, with a Triforce above its head.

The two friends sat at one of these grand tables, and Victoria marveled at the beauty and coziness of this place.

Of course, she'd been up there dozens of times, studying with Zelda and Link, but Victoria could never get used to this place. It was just so…beautiful. It had at least a hundred bookcases that reached from the floor to the ceiling, and filled with hundreds of books. The library had such a homey feeling. Like a grandmother's kitchen and smelled of paper and cookies. Sure, it was old, but, everything was in pristine condition.

Zelda leaned in and whispered, "So, Victoria, what is your question?" Victoria didn't know where to start.

"Well, it's about the Seal on the Sacred Realm." Zelda laughed. The sacred realm was the home of the Golden Goddesses who shaped Hyrule.

"Well, I can't tell you how to get into The Sacred Realm, my friend. Even I don't know that." Victoria let out and embarrassed giggle.

"No, no, Zelda, not that, but…" Victoria looked around. Who knew who would be watching? "Well, does the seal ever weaken...or...Could, you know…_he_ escape?" Zelda suddenly grew exceptionally serious.

"Impossible. Victoria, what could ever make you think this?" Victoria became nervous; she knew this was a bad idea. But, there was no going back now.

"Zelda," she said awkwardly. "The seal only holds back evil right? Well, what if he had changed? I mean, no one is truly evil… Zelda…I think _he_ saw me with my brother the other day." Victoria knew that Zelda was never going to let this go when they were finally through.

"Once again, Victoria, Impossible. Ganondorf is cruel, disgusting, and positively _heartless." _Zelda was being so…stubborn today. Victoria thought of her rebuttal.

"Zelda, you know I always think of the good in people. Well, I just know that…something was watching me…Something broken. Zelda, nobody is evil." Zelda remained persistent.

"Victoria, I understand what you are saying, I really do. But whatever was 'watching' you were your imagination. There is no way he could have crossed over. He is a _demon_." Victoria knew she would never win. She never did.

"Zelda, at least answer me this." Victoria took in a breath. "Could the seal weaken?" Zelda was shocked. Nobody had ever asked her something as serious as that! To tell the truth, she never really thought about it. She asked Naryu, the goddess of wisdom. The answer came to her in a split second.

"Yes."

......

Well, this is here so you...well the prolouge is a bit misleading :)


	3. 2 Bustin' out

**Heyy! Uh, so, I got some PM's about this, and my friends wanted it up. Oh well, here's hoping you enjoy! ****xNikkix**  
><strong>_<strong>

2.

Victoria stared in shock, her mouth slightly agape. Zelda seemed so serious. So, it was true. That is all she needed to know. If he got out…then everyone might be in danger. But what was that you said about him being good? She chastised herself in her head. She honestly had no idea where that had come from. But maybe…if he wasn't evil…she could save his life. Victoria knew that Zelda would never give up the fact that Ganondorf was evil. But…how could Ganondorf use the Triforce of Wisdom if Zelda's great-grandmother had been killed? The goddesses would have already chosen a new receiver, the Zelda of now. At that moment, she knew what she would have to do. But…without Zelda or Link, how could she protect herself? They couldn't come…they wouldn't.  
>Zelda would be too skeptical and ruin the whole adventure. Link would be too afraid of losing Zelda to speak up about what he thought, although he would love the adventure. Victoria knew that she would have to know eventually. She couldn't live with that kind of guilt and curiosity. The more she thought about it, the farther away the real world became. That happened a lot. Zelda broke her concentration when she said,<br>"Victoria, if you really must know…then…I will try and follow along with Link as well. I believe strongly enough that he could never escape that, I will go with you to…what were you planning to do…?" Zelda really did not want her best friend out in the world alone without anything to protect her.  
>"Zelda! I thought you said you gave up your power to read minds because it was so hard to hear other people's secrets!" Victoria snickered. Zelda left her strained face behind her.<br>"Well…I…heard such interesting things as well, so… I decided to keep it…and…I don't use it often, thank you very much!" said Zelda sheepishly. It was kind of embarrassing. Victoria sat up and remarked, "Well, if you really want to know, Zel, I'm going to Gannon's tower and checking the ruins. I just need peace of mind that no one will ever try to hurt you or my family…Are you interested?" Zelda's face brightened…just a little. "So, it's settled then? We depart at dawn!" Victoria was ecstatic. She might finally be the one right! That night, Victoria and Zelda stayed in the palace and talked about their plan.

"Zelda, where's Link? You sent him out yesterday." Victoria said with worry. This had only happened one time before, and Zelda couldn't stand to be away from him Last time, Link was kidnapped and Zelda had to find him in an evil dungeon. She'd even fought the boss by shooting it with countless light arrows. When they finally found Link, Zelda wouldn't let him out of her arms for a whole week  
>. "Oh," Zelda remarked, "He told me that I was in danger and left." She said this without a care. Victoria wondered why Zelda wasn't freaked out, after last time.<br>"Zelda, you're not worried about him? He would have been back by now." It was already lunch and Link wasn't back. Where could he have gone? Zelda shook her head, "No, Link won't be back for another hour or so." Victoria could see through Zelda's fake happiness. She reached for Zelda's hand.  
>"Zelda, if you're worried, let's go and find him." Zelda got even more upset.<br>"He's Link Victoria, he could be anywhere…" Her voice trailed off at the end. She was so worried. Victoria looked at her best friend. "Zelda, you're the princess! Anyone will tell you where he went." Victoria really needed Link for their quest. She also missed his humor and lightheartedness. Zelda thought and then said, "Yes, Victoria, I suppose you're right—" She never got to finish. A guard came into the dining room and screamed,

"PIRATES~!"

Pirates. The terror of the seas. They had been terrorizing Hyrule town for almost ever since the gods created Hyrule. Many had come and gone. Stealing from the rich and the poor. Every time they came, Hyrule was left in ruin. The most commonly destroyed was the bomb shop and LonLon ranch. The pirates would always take everything. Graves would be dug up, and families left with only each other. The guard Ran toward the two girls.  
>"Princess! Miss Victoria! Both of you need to run to safety. These pirates are different. They're taking hostages for ransom!" he took Zelda and Victoria's arms.<br>"Unhand me you! I am perfectly capable of hiding myself!" Zelda shrieked. Victoria was mad as well.  
>"Get the hell away from me you!" Victoria kicked and struggled, but the strength of the guard was too great. He stood solemnly and said,<br>"By order of the king-" but Zelda cut him off with,  
>"By order of the princess, I command you to Put. Me. Down" There was no doubt she was mad. The guard had two choices; get fired by the king, or by the princess. He set Zelda and Victoria down. Zelda smoothed out her dress and Victoria hers. Zelda had calmed down. "Tell my father we escaped. He'll believe it." The guard shook his head in agreement. Victoria had a sudden thought-what if the guard told King Hyrule they were going to Gannon's tower?<br>"Hey, looks like we're gonna see them pirates after all!" Victoria stuck her tongue out at the guard. He guard was puzzled, but he nodded. The girls sneaked out past the grand entryway and to Zelda's secret exit. The exit was located through a crack that could be split very easily. The wall would open into a steel corridor with a secret message encrypted in Hylian text.  
>Only members of the royal family could read it. You had to recite it in Hylian backwards. The plaque would hide and reveal the opening. It was small, but secure. The walls turned from marble to wood to bare iron. The passage lasted about three-and-a-half miles. Because nothing could find it, the passage was extremely clean. The exit was shown to her by the prime minister of Hyrule. Apparently, the exit was used by the first princess to escape the evil Gannon. Even their ancestors had fought. The girls looked at each other before they went in.<br>"Zelda, are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, they're pirates! And, you're a princess; they'll want to take you for ransom! I'll go. I need to see my family…make sure they're safe. They won't notice me." Zelda shook her head.  
>"No, Victoria, I need you. We have to find Link, and…If they catch me, you can help fight them off. You can fight." Victoria was skeptical at first, but knew that Zelda couldn't do it alone.<br>"Okay Zelda…Let's go." Zelda looked around her palace. She didn't know when she would see it next. Zelda started to go in, but stopped. "Zelda, what are you doing?" asked Victoria.  
>Zelda's eyes began to water, "Victoria, I may never see daddy again…If we don't make it home…He's already lost my mother." Zelda took in a breath to calm herself. Victoria looked around…there were no pictures in this hallway… at all. Seeing Zelda's sad face, she had an idea. "Zelda, hang on." Victoria had lots of pictures in her wallet. She reached into a pocket she had in her tights under her dress skirt. Her wallet was there, along with her pictures. One of Zelda and Link…well…three if you counted the ones Victoria was in. Six of her and Zelda at Windfall island, and, yes! There it was, a picture of Daphnes Nohanson Hyrule holding two thirteen-year old girls.<br>"Zelda…here. This is when your dad took us to Forest Haven when we were kids. It's…about four years old though, but…if you want it, here." Victoria smiled at Zelda. Victoria outstretched her hand to her weeping best friend. Zelda took in a breath and seized the picture gently. She held it in her hands and stared at the rarely joyful man.  
>"I'm so sorry daddy" she said in a whisper. And, without saying anything, Victoria knew it was time to go.<p>

The girls finally made it to the end of the tunnel. Outside it was the castle courtyard. Nobody was there… Strange. Victoria looked around. The courtyard hadn't changed since it was first built. It was made of stone bricks, all gray, to match the rest of the castle. It had many lush plants and, the secret passageway, was located right above a not-so-secret window where the king kept his prophecies.  
>They told of future heroes and villains. (Mario the great and Bowser the terrible, I think you know where this is going) Next to that window, was another, leading to the throne room. This was where Link and Zelda's ancestors had met as kids. But…that's not really important…now. The girls quietly made their way across the castle grounds, making sure no one could hear them. As if there was anybody to hear them. The silent quest was on its way.<br>When they made it to Hyrule market town, it didn't seem as lively as it normally did. Then the girls remembered. The pirates. Until now, both the girls had separate plans. Victoria's was to find her family and make sure they were safe. Zelda's only mission was to find Link. Victoria listened quietly.  
>"I don't hear cannon shot. I thought there were pirates." Zelda shook her head. "They have probably already taken what they wanted and are hiding in their ship. Perhaps…" Zelda looked over to a café. They sold LonLon milk there from LonLon ranch. The pirate's favorite drink. Victoria made a gesture to tell Zelda to get down.<br>The two crawled over silently toward the café. Zelda began to say something, but Victoria motioned for her to stop. Zelda began to sweat. Her heart was pounding. What if the pirates discovered them? Zelda would probably be sold and Victoria dead. She was shuddering at the very thought of what they would do to Link. The girls made it to the café after what seemed like hours, but only took five minutes. They found an open hole where they wouldn't be spotted. They peered in frightfully. Men crowded around a large table. Zelda recognized the crew immediately. Captain Lucas's crew…odd. The old sea captain wasn't there. Neither was his first mate, Trinity. The biggest one, Gonzo, wasn't there either. Zelda looked farther in. Link was nowhere to be seen. Zelda's heart sank. Where could he be?  
>Zelda looked over at Victoria, her usually joyful face full of emotions. Sadness, regret, worries. Zelda took it upon her to think about what Victoria was doing. Her family. Zelda felt awful. Victoria shouldn't be on a wild goose chase for Link, she should be with her family. They needed her skills in fighting, her intelligence, and her love. Victoria couldn't possibly live without her brother. Zelda turned toward her.<br>"Victoria...go. Go to your family. Help them. Let them know you're alive. They have to be worried sick." Victoria shook her head. "No. Zelda, I came to help you find Link, to protect you. My family has John. They…They know I'm with you. They think King Hyrule is putting us under the highest defense." Victoria continued smugly, "Also, you need to live up to your promise, princess." Zelda giggled. They looked back into the hole. Their hearts stopped. Nobody was in the café anymore.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A pair of spies." 


	4. Something interesting

3. Something interesting... The pirate was a scrawny man. He had slight stubble and wore cracked glasses. He didn't need them, but he needed the extra coolness. His name was Niko. Niko was around seventeen years old. He was Captain Lucas' son. His only family. Niko smirked.  
>The sun was just rising on the horizon.<br>"Well. Lookie what we have here! Two little girlies in dresses. How cute. Listen, We're going to take you two back to my…" he scowled, "my captain, and if she's in a good mood, she might let you go." Niko let out an evil laugh. Zelda looked up, trying to hide her crown. If they found out she was the princess, their hopes of ever being set free would be sucked down the toilet. A French crew man, Jacques, noticed Zelda's crown.  
>"Niko…" He started to say, but Zelda gave him a hard bite to the shin. The man yelped loudly instead. Niko looked over at Jacques. "What you bumbling idiot?" Jacques, remembering Zelda's reaction to his outburst and stammered, "<br>N-nothing N-Niko, I…uh, saw…that ees to say…I saw z'ees spider on you." Niko eyed him suspiciously and said,  
>"Whatever Jacques, you wimp." Niko glared and paused. As if nothing had happened, Niko turned and gestured for the others to follow. There were about twelve of them, all wearing the same crest. A heart shaped skull and cross bones colored green, red and black. Painted blood oozed from the bones.<br>Fire in the background, with blue dots. It looked silly, but apparently, they all liked it. Victoria and Zelda were dragged across market town until they reached the port. Then, they saw their ship. It was a beautiful oak/cedar combination. The dark paneling stood out against the roaring blue waters. Their crest was printed on the large flag in the center of the boat. The girls, were then hoisted on the man's shoulder to be carried, because the boardwalk was so rough. The man jumped from the high boardwalk to the ship with ease.  
>When they were all aboard, Niko leaned into the captain's quarter's door and, without bothering to block Victoria and Zelda's hearing, whispered the secret password: 'bottle fish'. Victoria heard the password and secretly memorized it, just in case.<br>Zelda couldn't concentrate, her to priority was to keep Jacques quiet about her crown. After a while, a series of clicks and clanks, clinks and ticks from locks turning and unbolting the door. The door swung furiously open, and standing there, was a beautiful young woman, about twenty-five or so, Victoria guessed. She had white hair that shined in the morning sun. Her usually stunning face was hot with anger. Niko turned white with anxiety. Victoria tried to stifle her smugness. Ha, she thought, that's what you get! Zelda, on the other hand, was also petrified with fear at the fearsome pirate captain, Trinity. "What the HELL is wrong with you Niko? You could have hurt these poor townspeople! Your father is going to hear about this! What were you thinking? I told you to tell the crews that we would go refuel at daybreak! Niko, you are the most, dunderheaded, foul minded, Stupid, moronic, JERK on all of Hinn!" The girl's face grew hot again. She opened her mouth to shout again when the true captain came up and placed his old hand on her shoulder. Captain Lucas.  
>Zelda gasped. "L-Lucas?" She stammered. The old man looked up. "Zelda?" his eyes perked up. He had been her babysitter growing up once her mother passed away. When Zelda was old enough to take care of herself, Lucas was no longer needed. He left in the dead of night, to avoid saying goodbye to Zelda. She was like a daughter to him. Back then, he had no family. His wife left him, and his son was nowhere to be found. Years later, however, his son had returned to him and stowed away on his ship. His son's name was Niko.<br>The old man walked over to her and ran a finger down her flawless cheek. Niko was relived to be out of the heat, but Trinity glared at him and he shrunk back. Trinity walked over to Zelda to take a look. Wow. On a pirate ship and I'm still a plate of grits, thought Victoria. Then, even Niko joined in cautiously. Trinity spoke up. "Lucas…what's that on her head?" She pointed to Zelda's crown. Zelda thought about this, with Lucas as the captain, she would feel relived. Obviously, however, he had turned over his crew to this girl. Zelda was afraid of her. Zelda swallowed a lump in her throat. Lucas eyed it and gave Zelda a reassuring look. "You may not know this, Trinity, but…this is the princess of Hyrule."

The group gasped. Niko felt so stupid. He had thrown and dragged the princess! Trinity threw him another nasty look along with a nasty gesture to boot. Niko tried to not look shocked. Desperate to change the subject, Niko turned to Victoria and said in a frustrated tone,  
>"And who is this? The queen of the Kokiri?" Victoria got angry, like she so often did.<br>"For your information, I happen to be Victoria Angelle. I'm also Zelda's best friend, mister, 'I'm going to capture two innocent girls and drag them across the city and ruin their dresses.'" Her matter-of-factly tone made Niko fume. He couldn't cuss out Trinity, but this girl went over the top.  
>"You little—" Trinity cut him off.<br>"Ha! I like this girl! She's got spunk. Kid, you know of a place called Hinn?" Victoria shook her head. "No? Well, that's where we call home." Victoria looked at Trinity, now smiling. She really was pretty. Victoria had never noticed, but Trinity had been wearing a blood-red outfit. Today, her silver white hair was pinched up in a tight ponytail. Trinity looked at Lucas solemnly. A lump formed In her throat. Lucas had always been like a father to her.  
>Now, since Zelda had arrived, Lucas' attention was on her. Trinity's mind wandered to telling the king that Zelda was here, but seeing Lucas so happy… Trinity pushed it from her mind.<br>Victoria didn't have a piece of the Triforce, but she could still tell people's basic emotions, and said,  
>"You know Trinity, Zelda is looking for someone, so…" Trinity stopped her short.<br>"No." she said bluntly. "I-I can't let Lucas down. Not again." Trinity turned on her heels and walked into the captain's quarters. Niko examined Victoria closely. Her dress sparkled softly in the moonlight. It was inlaid with sapphires and rubies, from the princess. Niko wondered what her status in Hyrule was. Probably nothing special, he thought. He could see through the fearless exterior. Behind was a glimmer of fear. Hmm, he thought once more, what could make her so hardened? Niko had made a complete circle around her. Her hair reached to her shoulders and he could just barely see she was shaking. From the cold ship or fear he didn't know.  
>He made it back to the front. She was agitated. "You know, you've got to buy a ticket to see the show" She said sarcastically.<br>Niko blushed. "well…I…um…" He began to blurt out.  
>"Save it, wannabe." Victoria snickered. That made Niko mad. He squatted down, his face so close she could taste the milk he had just moments ago. The swabbie put a finger on her neck, giving Victoria goosebumps.<br>"I could kill you right here, right now, you know that?" She smirked and spit in his face. He stood, and ran to the bow of the ship.  
>Victoria eyed Lucas and Zelda. They looked so happy, catching up on old times. She walked over. Victoria noticed how large the boat seemed. Its mast barely touched the sky. Victoria had not been noticed, so she decided she would eavesdrop a while.<br>"Yes, I suppose…But, what about Daphnes? He would hate to lose another woman, especially you." Zelda began to tear up.  
>"Lucas, he-Link, has to-to…Link has to fight on the front lines. I must find him…even if it means losing Daddy." She held on to the picture that Victoria had given her. They looked so happy. She missed those times.<br>Lucas thought about this. "Zelda, you will go back. That's an order, young lady. No silly boy is worth your life." She looked around, her demeanor suddenly becoming hard.  
>"Uncle Lucas. You're no longer my babysitter, and definitely not my father. You have no say in what I will and will not do. You have no idea of the trouble Link is in.<br>"Oh really? What sort of trouble might that be?" Zelda choked up a bit.  
>"He…He might find him…" She trembled, and Lucas put a hand on her shoulder.<br>"Who, Daphnes? I think not, dear." She shook her head and held up her long, white-gloved right hand. The Triforce on her right hand resonated brightly.  
>"No. Ganondorf."<p>


	5. Here we go

6.

Victoria was astonished, so he did escape! He wasn't a demon! Zelda was wrong! Victoria beamed from her tiny hiding spot. Zelda went on. "Lucas, is there any way you can help us?" Lucas stared. He was at a loss for words for once.  
>"Well I…" he tried, "Zelda, I understand what you're saying, but…playing with fire can only get you burned." Zelda was shocked. A single tear rushed down her face. He knew Zelda had a strong outward force, but she was weeping inside. He wiped her face with his gentle hand.<br>Then he said firmly, "Go home, To Daphnes, your real father. Now" Zelda knew she wouldn't do it. She just wouldn't. Link needed her. Then again…what about Victoria's family? They needed her. She stood up, gave a smirk and walked away. On her way to the bow, she called to Lucas distastefully,  
>"Sure. I'll go back. Right after I save Link." Zelda jumped out of the boat, onto the boardwalk. She called to Victoria,<br>"Let's go Victoria." Victoria was sent with a spasm of surprise, blushing to her shoulders, no doubt. How did she see me? Victoria thought. Victoria got out of her hiding spot, blushing like mad. She looked around the beautiful ship one last time and hopped over the bow to Zelda.  
>"Look, I know it was wrong—" Zelda stopped her.<br>"No, I said all that because I knew you would listen. Victoria, I just couldn't say it to your face…Something will happen if you see him…Victoria I can't let that happen! Victoria, just know that he will be watching you. Not on purpose, but…it's..." Victoria was so confused. Why did Zelda want to keep this from her? What would happen? What was that about? Thinking this made her head ache. She had to ask.  
>"Zelda, what is it? Why won't you tell me? Why is it so wrong? Zelda, please!" Zelda just shook her head,<br>"Victoria, no. Ganondorf is waiting for you to snap and—" She had said too much. Victoria was ready to snap in fact! She knew that Zelda would get her way…again. But right there, Victoria hatched a plan. She would go to Ganon's tower and investigate. She would need a horse though…Scarlette. Her family's horse, of course! But…Victoria had to steal Scarlette in the night…her parents could never let her go to Ganon's tower, ever, especially now. Then there was her loving brother. Victoria had to always include him in her zany ideas. They always got him in trouble. Victoria felt bad for doing this.  
>Zelda didn't even notice Victoria not saying anything the whole time. She had thought Victoria was angered. The Princess felt terrible…but telling her now would seal her fate for…the worse. They walked through the paths from the sea port. Hyrule Market Town finally resumed its natural pace of life. People crowded around the shooting gallery, the bomchu shop, even the Poe museum.<br>Eventually, Zelda was forced to say, "You might want to see your family now." Victoria's already serious face turned grimmer.  
>"Zelda, you never know what might jump you while you're here. It's Hyrule Town!" Zelda thought about this for a minute.<br>"Well, when are you telling your parents about Ganondorf?" Victoria shook her head.  
>No. I can't. They'd never let me see you again! Zelda, I can't lose you. You're my best friend, you and Link are…like my brother and sister. Din knows I need all the family I can get with my parents gone all the time…" She smiled a genuine smile. Zelda chocked up a little.<br>"V-Victoria, Thank—" She never got to finish. They were torn apart almost instantly. "Wow, we're popular today." Victoria thought the pirates, now this? Today was just full of surprises. Two men, roughly 200 pounds each and cosmetically huge, threw the girls against a hard wall in an alley. Strangely, nobody noticed the princess and her best friend being dragged around by two outsized men. The men's faces were dark and…reminded Zelda of…Skull Kids! Skull kids were normally peaceful folk, but in recent generation, had started a war. They were convinced that Hyrulians all wanted the same thing: Power. Ganondorf had hired some gerudo women to "persuade" them.  
>One of the skull kids—well, skull men, kept watch of the girls while the other pulled out his phone and called who was obviously his boss. He got a connection and began to talk. "Yeah, nobody noticed us take the girls." His voice echoed almost inaudibly through the alley. "Sure, hey, listen, where do they go again?" pause. "Oh, really? Then why did we take them?" pause. "Oh…heehaw." Pause. "Alright. Later." The man walked over to the girls. "well, looks like you girlies are getting off easy. My boss says—"<br>The man, just…disappeared, his only remains became a puff of smoke.  
>The other skull man yelled, "What the Majora is going on? What have you Hylians gone and done now?" He ran around frantically…that is, until a hooded stranger jumped down from a house and knocked out the skull man.<br>Blood from his nose streamed onto the street. The mystery man grabbed Victoria, jumped onto the housetops with the stealth of a Sheikah, and hid her behind a familiar tree in Hyrule field. Barely getting a look at her rescuer, she sighed. Victoria turned around to find she was in the place Zelda and Victoria had first met. Victoria was playing in the tree, and Zelda reading underneath it. Until Victoria felll into her lap of course.  
>Back in the alley, shortly after Victoria was taken, Zelda saw the Skull "Kid" Stir and frantically thought, HEY! WHAT ABOUT ME! Her face showed it too. The hooded man came to Zelda's rescue, kneeling behind her, and whispered something in her ear with a growl.<br>"Poke your face in my life again girl and we'll repeat the prophecy." Zelda immediately knew who the mystery man was. She gulped.  
>"Listen, by Naryu, stay away from my best friend!"<br>The hooded man said, "Oh, I will stay away from her. But, something tells me she will not stay away from me." Holding up Victoria's prized ruby pendant, Ganondorf smirked.  
>"You wicked person! I can't believe you would stoop so low!" Zelda shrieked angrily. "You know the powers of that pendant! You're risking her life for your dirty little plot!"<br>"On the contrary, Zelda, this is for love."

Zelda gasped.  
>"For love? What would you know about love you heartless fiend?" Zelda was furious and confused. She got a good look at her captor. He had…gotten younger. His beard was shrunken and his hair protruded over the sandy jewel encrusted on his forehead. And his eyes! How they sparkled, even under his hood. Brown never looked so good. He seemed to have reversed his age to a man only a few years older than herself. Or perhaps he, too, had been reborn?<br>Zelda snapped out of her trance and gagged a little. What was she doing, thinking of the King of Evil like this?  
>He snarled in her ear once again, "So, you've noticed my reincarnation." He laughed evilly. Zelda snapped back,<br>"I've also noticed you're abysmal interest in Victoria. Cut that out, you worm."  
>Ganondorf stopped laughing and smirked, "Even you, my princess, cannot stop true love."<br>Zelda glared. "True love? FEH! No woman will ever love you."  
>"Really? Wasn't it you who was complimenting my 'deep brown eyes'?" Zelda blushed violently. So his Triforce could still read minds.<br>"Get over yourself. Your appearance could never compensate for your evils. No matter the incarnation, the blood of thousands rests on your hands. You're a beast, Ganondorf." He gulped. Turning away from her, he said, almost to himself,  
>"Don't you think I know that?" Ganondorf stood, dropping his hood. "I have memories, passed down to me. Of the evils I caused. Of what I did to you and Link. To innocent children…Bloodshed across the land…"<br>"Do…You actually Regret?" Zelda's tentative whisper pierced his soul. But he smirked.  
>"Of course not." An old glimmer reappeared in his eye. "The things He did were…understandable, at the time. He was fighting for His people after all. Nonetheless!" He coughed, and put his hood back on. "The Goddesses have spoken to me. You know what I must do to redeem my soul." Zelda spat in his face as he hoisted her up and carried her off like he did to Victoria.<br>She clutched his cloak with her fists before he could leave, and growled to him at last minute.  
>"Not if it means reaping hers."<p>

******

Zelda walked around the tree to Victoria and hugged her tight. Victoria was in shock. "V—Victoria did he hurt you? Oh, no, no I'll never let you go again!" Victoria pushed her away.  
>"No, no, its just…he was so…wow. Zelda, did you know him, I mean, who could it be?" Zelda was disgusted.<br>"What? Victoria, trust me, it's not important. Victoria's smile dropped.  
>"Oh, so…" She sighed. "All the good ones are either taken, gay, or ninjas, huh?" Zelda looked at Victoria, who was shedding a single tear. Zelda just couldn't do this to Victoria. Maybe she could see for herself the evils to come…<br>"Err...Well, I think…Victoria, let's go to Ganon's tower and investigate, I'll meet you there tomorrow night. Come alone. If I'm not there when you are, start without me. I need you to be there when the night is at it's darkest. So Ten o'clock should do. But you'll need to visit a few people…" Zelda gulped…how could she put this without revealing anything? "To…get supplies! Yes! Malon should have milk for you to drink, and the Gorons should be able to forge you a sheild…and Princess Ruto could give you fish, for food….I'm sure."  
>Victoria wondered why Zelda was asking so strangely…but knew that whatever it was, was important. She hugged Zelda tight, who held on for very long, shaking slightly, as if she were crying. Then, Victoria ===turned around and ran home. The bright sunrise covered Zelda's magical disappearance.<br>On the way home, Victoria thought about her beautiful captor, red hair, such a serious look in his beautiful brown eyes, stronger than Hercules, fast as a whip and his smile when he held her…it was magic. She thought about who it could be and names escaped her. Victoria ran home as fast as she could.  
>Her house wasn't a palace, but it was still amazing. A Victorian(and very fitting) style plantation, where her parents could conduct business, as they were ministers of foreign affairs and needed to be near the center of everything.<br>In the back, there was a small stable where they kept their prized horse, Scarlette. She walked toward her home, but stopped abruptly. What would her parents think? The only person who would let her go is her brother, John. He was 5'5" and proud. He had jet-black hair and chocolate brown eyes, just like their mother. Victoria suddenly saw her brother, riding Scarlette around their property. Their parents were dignitaries, but John wanted to raise animals, so they had three cuccos, Scarlette, and a cow named Buboy.  
>His tanned face showed signs of worry against the morning sun. Victoria hadn't realized she had been gone so long. It had been nearly a week! Silently, Victoria crept behind the closest tree to him.<br>Quietly, she whispered, "Hey there, big bro." John whipped around and raised his Bow and Arrow. Then he looked and saw it was his little girl.  
>He hadn't heard his little sister's voice in so long! John was about to yell and hug her, but she cupped a hand on his mouth. She whispered to him, "Shhh, don't talk, at all." He nodded. "I can't stay long. Hide me for a while. I have to go somewhere Tomorrow night. Don't tell mom or dad. It's important, like, life or death important." A single tear dropped down her cheek and she added, "Now, give me a hug."<br>She smiled and he beamed ecstatically. The two siblings held on as long as they could, then John broke away.  
>"Victoria, where have you been, little girl?" He joked. "And, where are you going?" Victoria wanted to tell him, but it was too hard. "I'll tell you later." She decided. John knew that he would never know, because, not only did he know everything about his little sister, but, he was a master Sheikah and knew she would leave the next night, he could just see it. The Sheikah were the ninjas of Hyrule. Originally founded to protect the royal family, eventually they came to be the secret society that protected all of Hyrule…in secret.<br>He had even beaten The Master. The Master was so good, everyone forgot his real name. This earned John the coveted gold belt, painted with actual gold, claiming his title of the leader of the Hyrulean army.  
>John kept her safe that night, not telling their parents as promised. The morning after, Victoria wrote a letter to them all:<br>Bubba, Mom, Dad….something has occurred…and to keep you all from danger, I'm taking Scarlette and fighting it myself. It may seem foolish, but Link, Zelda and I are the only solution. Although my whereabouts will remain unbeknownst to you…Mother will, of course, know of my welfare through her charms.  
>Victoria wept during the last sentence. She walked to his bed while he was sleeping and placed it on his stone-hard chest. His rocky face was peaceful at this hour of the night and Victoria smiled when she saw him move. Leaving his room, she noticed his katana was lying against the doorway. He must have known I would take it, Victoria thought. Her brother knew her so well. Victoria peeked into her room. Lying there, level on her bed, was her blade, an almost exact model of the blade of evil's bane.<br>She found it ironic that this blade, looking so much like the blade what had killed Ganon, years and years and years back. Victoria took it and walked through the door. Over to the left of the old accommodation was Scarlette's stable. The young horse was chocolate brown, with white spots, and an "A" shape on her head, giving her the name, Scarlette. Victoria approached her silently. The stallion cried out, but before she woke Victoria's parents, Victoria calmed the horse, saying, "Shhh girl, it's just me." That, no matter who you were, gave the mustang peace. Victoria mounted the young girl and rode off toward LonLon Ranch. 


	6. LonLon Ranch

8.

Hyrule field seemed greener than usual, given it was barely dawn.

Victoria had traveled around half a mile when she heard the cattle and horses in LonLon ranch. Her home wasn't very far from the ranch, which made Malon and Victoria great friends. Victoria walked up to where Malon usually made her appearance. Nobody could mistake her flaming red hair on top of her ice blue eyes. Malon obviously heard somebody coming, and threw what she had been feeding the horses right in Victoria's direction. Victoria dodged it with ease, as to Malon's relief.

"Golly Victoria, ya' know, sneakin' ain't no sport 'round here, 'specially with what's been goin' on down in the town! What 'yall up to?" Malon was extremely country, growing up on a farm. Victoria took a good look at her old friend. Not much had changed, although the recent activity. Malon always kept her cool, for she knew her knight in shining armor would come to help her out of anything. She knew Link too. Link's grandfather had been, temporarily, her knight. Victoria knew she had no time for this.

"M—Malon…I have to do something extremely dangerous. I need help; do you have anything that can help me?"

Malon smiled and said, "Sure I do!" She made a gesture to her room around the corner. "Come on, you're going to need a bag to hold all the milk I'm gonna give you!"

They laughed and Victoria followed Malon to her room. She never noticed Genesis charging straight at her. Genesis was the horse Malon's father, Talon, raised, and he picked up speed as he went along. Then it happened. The raging mustang rammed his skull into Victoria's back, flipping her around to the ground and sending Epona reeling forward. She saw Malon running towards her, and then everything went black.

Victoria woke up three hours later. The sun was shining ever so brightly. Malon held a cuccoo over her head to wake Victoria up. When she came to, Malon was relived.

"Oh! Victoria! I'm so glad you're okay! I never would've forgiven myself if you had…" She shuddered. "I'm so sorry, Victoria! I mean, Genesis is well…not herself today. She's been bullying all the an'mals left and right…I do believe we might have to per her down, poor thang. Oh! Did I mention we done found out Genesis was a Girl! Can you believe that!"

She giggled a little, and Victoria saw a glimmer of the happy face she had known since she was little. Malon ran her fingers through Victoria's hair. She had always been like a big sister to Victoria, especially when her brother was in training. Malon examined her once again to make sure no bones were broken, and then raised up a leather bag.

"Here," She said, and giving it to Victoria, said, "It's made from the runt" and laughed at Victoria's recoil. "No, no, not like that! He died without our consent. May his soul protect you on your journey. And…It's filled with LonLon milk."

She smiled and so did Victoria. The old friends hugged, but then Victoria noticed the sun, shining over the horizon. "Oh no! Malon, thank you, but, I—I have to go. I pray the Goddesses be with you."

Malon told Victoria, "W—Well, J—just don't use all that milk in one place, ya hear? And don't you be gettin' ya'llselves in trouble, now!"

Victoria got up from Malon's bed, where she had been laying and stood up straight. She looked over at Malon one more time and walked over to the door.

But, before she left she called back to Malon, "Tell your dad I stopped by." Malon wanted to question this, but Victoria was gone before she could say a word. Victoria stepped out onto the ranch and walked to the horse pen. She watched Genesis prod around in her isolation container. Wow, all along, Genesis had been a girl, and we didn't know it! Victoria remembered when Genesis had been little. Her black fur and rough expression made them think Genesis was a boy. Genesis was really old too. Victoria couldn't imagine her still being in heat. So many mysteries were unfolding right before her eyes. She wondered what made Genesis charge at her. Victoria looked for Scarlette. She had no time for wondering. There she was. Scarlette was almost impossible to miss. She was just running around the large circular pen. Victoria called Scarlette by whistling. Sometimes, she wished she could call her with an ocarina, like Link. He could call Epona at any time, and she would come no matter where he was. Scarlette ran over and neighed to Victoria. She jumped over the fence. Taking care to stay away from Genesis, Victoria hopped onto Scarlette. They galloped out of the ranch towards the cloud of smoke surrounding Death Mountain.


	7. Eat My Rock Sirloin Shorts!

9.

Victoria looked around Hyrule field. She looked over to the Lost Woods. Link used to live there. She thought that maybe just maybe…Link would be there. But then again, Zelda may have already found him as well. She kept on towards Death Mountain.

She needed to continue, at any cost. He would be fine. Death Mountain was nestled to the North of Hyrule, right next to Hyrule castle. Victoria rode over to the entrance, but stopped. There was something that wasn't there last time she visited. It was Kakariko village. Granted, Victoria hadn't gone to Death Mountain lately, but King Hyrule would take them everywhere in Hyrule. Victoria thought about this. A city couldn't be built overnight.

Victoria thought that, perhaps, this was the village of legend. This city, or, well…village, would disappear for years at a time. Naturally, Victoria was surprised when she saw the village, but, even more surprised when she saw the residents. If this was the village of legend, then, how could they live there? Victoria rode on with caution. The people seemed so happy. Victoria pushed it from her mind.

She would ponder this after her questions were answered. People stared, of course, but Victoria kept on her way. Victoria observed the village. It was…quiet. The only real sounds were cuccos and hammers, as there was a cuccoo pen and they were building. All of the houses had a light brown tan of mud and age. The great windmill strode over the north end. Death Mountain was to the west. Sneering at the staring onlookers, Victoria sped up. She came to a stop when she passed the graveyard. She once had a twin sister. Victoria was only six, and never understood where Christina had gone. Victoria knew she had been there before, but she hadn't remembered the village. Victoria found it extremely hard to stay focused here. The graveyard seemed to call out to her. Victoria gave a shudder, but led Scarlette in.

Tombstones lined up. Victoria wasn't usually afraid of things like this, especially in the light, but she knew that something was watching her. Victoria thought of what Zelda would have done. Run off, she thought. Victoria swallowed a lump in her throat. Then, she heard an absolutely angelic voice.

"My Child.…" Victoria began to turn around, hardly believing her ears. Then, she saw a sprit rise over a tombstone. It was the great goddess, Din.

"Whoa!" Victoria cried out loud. Victoria could hardly believe her eyes, the goddess of power, if not but an Oracle, standing before her. While getting off Scarlette, Victoria bowed.

Din laughed and said, "Arise, my child." Victoria got on her feet immediately. Din continued, "My child, what are you pursuing?" Din's voice echoed throughout the graveyard…wait…Victoria noticed she was in a temple, a gray and grand hall. Her mind snapped to.

"Hope. Hope for my family. There have been rumors of the Dark Lord somehow escaping your grasp, my Goddess."

Din looked into Victoria's eyes lovingly and said, "My child. I know what you are truly seeking, and your true destiny. You were born for a great purpose. To shine light upon those who need it, to shed knowledge upon the ignorant, and to give…hope. Hope to those who have lost everything due to recent events. My child, please take this blessing from my sisters and I."

Din spun around and a big explosion erupted around the temple. Red, green, and blue swirled around the room. Din reappeared and handed Victoria a ball of light, inscribed with Din's insignia, the three waves of power.

"My child, keep this safe." Din whispered in her ear. Then, everything just…disappeared. Victoria found herself sleeping next to the tree in front of Kakariko village. Oh, so it was only a dream…but…it felt so real.

Victoria got up and looked around. She needed a drink. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of LonLon milk. Then, she saw something shimmering in her bag. She reached in the silky leather and grabbed hold of the light. Victoria gasped. It was the ball of light Din had given her. Victoria couldn't believe her eyes. Victoria dropped the milk, shattering the container on the ground. Din, the Golden Goddess! She twirled the ball around in her hand. It glowed an eerie rainbow of colors. Victoria threw it up in the air and watched it float down gracefully. She wondered what made it so important. She also questioned why Din would waste her time on her. She said I was to bring light to this world…what the Termina could that mean!

She stood up and angrily threw the ball at a wall. Then, something extremely strange happened. The ball slowed and dropped to the ground, rolling back at her. Victoria was shocked. She ran over to the ball and picked it up. Wow…what is this? She thought. She carefully plopped it back into her bag and got back on Scarlette. Making sure to steer clear of the graveyard, Victoria made her way to the gate of Death mountain trail.  
>A guard stopped her when she reached the gate. The guard was heavily protected with armor, and he stood tall. When he stopped Victoria he asked,<p>

"And just where do you think you're going missy? What business have ya done got in Death Mountain, eh?" The gate prevented her from going any farther, even if she wanted to. Victoria looked at him with little respect.

"If you must know, Major Dunderhead, I must see princess Mikhailnia, of the Gorons, or, at least Daruina." His eyes flared behind his helmet.

"And what makes you think I'll let you pass?" His voice sounded smug, which made the anger mutual between the two.

"Listen, if I don't get through, one of us won't come home tonight." She grabbed at her blade, in a holster behind her. The guard recoiled, but stood firm.

"Missy, put up your toy. I won't let you through without a royal pardon!" Victoria became frustrated. Then, she thought of the ball of light. Maybe he'd know what it was.  
>She reached into her bag and pulled out the ball saying, "Do you have any idea what this is?" The guard stepped back.<p>

His eyes widened and he whispered, "W—where did you get that?" Victoria eyed him suspiciously and said,  
>"I just…found—" she stopped. The guard might think she stole it. "I got it from Zelda. She told me Din blessed the first king with it when he was a child." Victoria didn't try to tell the lie; the words just fell from her mouth. She hoped Din would forgive her. The guard shook his head,<p>

"Missy, why would the princess give you Din's pearl?" Din's Pearl! Victoria had learned about it through her years of schooling in Hyrule. It was the concentrated, pure, energy of the Goddess Din.

His eyes stared into hers. Victoria avoided his gaze and looked into the sky. She tried to think of why. Just then, a sudden courage washed over her. She knew just what to say.

"I need to deliver a message with its powers to King Darunia, King Zora, and…well, who else is classified, mister."

Victoria instantly knew Din was giving her these words. The guard was even more angered, but kneeled.

In an angered tone, he said, "Pass."

Victoria thought, so simple! But instead, she called to him,

"Now, was that so hard?"

and, riding Scarlette, jumped over the high gate. She looked at Scarlette, and thought, Wow, she can jump high. I need to spend more time at home! Victoria rode onto the Death Mountain trail.

Gorons lined the path from the sides. None raised their heads, which was strange, since Gorons were naturally very friendly. She rode faster. Death Mountain trail was baron and extremely hot. She watched fire emerge from Death Mountain, and saw that Dodongo's Cavern wasn't occupied by Gorons, as it usually was. Cautiously, she slowed and turned to the entrance of Goron city. The entrance was a giant hole, and the city was made completely of rock. Bombflowers grew on the walls and Gorons ran around. Finally, somewhere normal, Victoria thought.

However, "normal" isn't exactly what you'd first say when you walked into Goron City. The legendary city lay carved into a volcano, and it's inhabitants weren't of the norm either. They were large, muscular creatures with hearts of gold. Their bodies were so hard, it is said that they were actually made of stone.  
>Victoria dismounted Scarlette and walked around the circular room. In the center of it, she noticed, was a podium. Victoria wondered what it used to hold. The room was three stories high and Victoria had no clue where Mikhailnia or King Darunia was. She looked for somebody who could help. Gorons ran around recklessly and none would give her the time. She called out to every Goron she saw. Eventually, she gave up. She sauntered around aimlessly until she just turned a corner and reached utter desperation. She felt as if she was invisible…as if a dark shroud had taken over the Gorons but she trekked on. Soon, a large eruption happened in the center of the room…perhaps a bomb flower had gone off?<p>

Suddenly, Bomb flower after bomb flower lit and exploded. Victoria, caught in the domino-like explosions, shielded her face with her arms and was sent flying. Her head knocked against the rocky wall and made her black out. All this blacking out couldn't be...healthy.

She was awoken soon after, however, by a young goron girl.

Seeing Victoria's face emerge from her arms, the goron girl said loudly, "hi!" Her expression matched her tone. Energetic and optimistic, and even seeing a drowsy Hylian, she remained happy. She crouched down to Victoria's height and patted her on the shoulder.

"Hey there, Little Person, why are you…here?"

Victoria took a deep breath and told the goron, "well, I'm looking for somebody, but nobody will tell me where she is and, and…I don't even know why I want to keep looking because, nothing will be there and—" She stopped. The goron didn't want to hear about her problems.

Despite what she thought, the girl goron told Victoria in a comforting tone, "and what Little Person?" Victoria was shocked. Gorons were friendly, but extremely self-centered. Victoria didn't think this one was any different. So, she told the girl goron everything. The pirates, Zelda, the mystery man, LonLon ranch, her quest, Kakariko Village, Din, and all the mean Gorons. She was amazed at how much she had gone through.

The goron girl didn't respond at first, but, instead, stood up and said, "But, Little Person, my name is Mikhailnia."  
>A hearty laugh erupted from her throat. Victoria looked at the princess, confused.<p>

She took another breath and said, "You are the p—princess right? Well, I—" Victoria stopped. She didn't know what to say. She thought a bit, and blurted out, "Zelda sent m—me. I need something to help me on my quest. Could you—" Victoria's weak voice made Mikhailnia laugh.

"Of course you can! I'll forge you a shield that not even Din could destroy! Ha! I've also got something special for you, Little Person." Victoria regained her courage.

She giggled as she said, "Thou shall not test the gods!" Instantly, Victoria's wounds dried, not just of the humidity of the volcanic city, but because she had made a new friend.


	8. Windows are totally normal in volcanoes!

10.

Mikhailnia stood up. Victoria marveled at her size. Mikhailnia laughed when she noticed Victoria's gawking.

"Ha, Ha, Little Person, you've noticed my size."

Victoria got embarrassed. "No No, Little Person—I mean, Victoria, it is an honor to be looked up to." She smiled. Victoria wondered why Mikhailnia was so big. She looked around. Victoria scrunched up as high as she could, and asked Mikhailnia,

"Do you have somewhere we can be…you know, alone? Some things I'm going to tell you just might be private." Mikhailnia patted Victoria's head.

"Of course I do! Come with me, Little Buddy!" Victoria had to admit, although Mikhailnia had a very short attention span, her heart was purest gold. Mikhailnia guided Victoria to a large door on the ground floor. She opened it with ease, even though it must've weighed fifty pounds. They entered the room. Victoria noticed how everything there was huge. It had to have been Mikhailnia's bedroom.

Everything seemed to be made of stone yet smelled of iron. The room had a rug, smack in the middle. Painted green, black, red, blue and yellow, her room was an array of beautiful colors. Victoria wondered how long it took to make this room perfect for Mikhailnia. She seemed pretty single-minded. Mikhailnia plopped down on her stone bed.

"So, Victoria, what would you like to know?" Victoria hesitated. Where should she start? She wanted to know why none of the gorons would talk to her, that's for sure. She sat on a chair with a table set and began to ask,

"Why didn't any of the other gorons stop and help like you did?"

Mikhailnia's face fell, for once in her life.  
>"I hate to say this, but a terrible plague has fallen amongst my people. It seems that the rocks in Dodongo's cavern have been poisoned by beamos... It creates a certain blindness …they can't see or hear anything. They can only smell the familiar paths of Goron City." Victoria noticed that Mikhailnia was extremely upset.<br>She asked her, "I wonder if…" Mikhailnia looked up.

"Wh—what is it, Victoria? Do you know of a cure?" Victoria walked over to Mikhailnia, reaching into her bag. Victoria felt around for Din's pearl and thought, This helped me out before, maybe… Victoria took out the ball of light and held it out. Mikhailnia gasped. Victoria stared into the light, protruding out of the ball and said, "Gorons worship Din, right?" Mikhailnia's face lit up.

"Yes! Yes we do! Th—this must be Din's pearl!" Victoria felt awesome, making a difference in somebody's life. Victoria toyed with the pearl a while, twirling it around in her hands. Mikhailnia spoke up. Clearing her throat, she explained, "Victoria that is what we need, but, only believed it to be a myth! How does it work?" Victoria stopped dead, almost dropping the pearl. As fast as she possibly could, she placed it secretly back into her bag. Victoria thought that Mikhailnia would know.

She stammered out, "I—I uh…don't know exactly." She wished Din would help her out now, like she did at the gate.  
>Mikhailnia restored her rare sad face and whimpered loudly, "Oh! Now what will happen? My people will—" Mikhailnia stopped. A wave of inspiration hit her. She stood up, looked her Hylian up and down, and hoisted her into her own arms screaming, "YES! I KNEW IT!" Mikhailnia jumped up and down, causing the City to shake. Victoria yelled at the top of her lungs, "WHAT? What Mikhailnia?" Mikhailnia tore off, running to a part of the city Victoria had never seen. It was protected with an iron door. Rarely seen on Death Mountain. Mikhailnia hammered on the door and chanted,<p>

"Thgil fo ssecnirp eht rof nepo."  
>Victoria had no clue what she had said, apparently it was a goron dialect. Mikhailnia set Victoria down gently. The giant wooden door was creaked open and Darunia appeared, shaken. "Father, Father! Look!" Darunia exposed more of himself and examined the frightened Hylian. He gasped when he saw her blade. Recoiling, Darunia whispered, "I—I can't believe it…She's here!" She turned to Victoria. "I know, that if you fulfill your destiny, my people will recover."<p>

Victoria got frustrated. "What Destiny! My Din! What the Termina is everyone TALKING about!"

But she was disregarded. While pouting, she peered into the room in front of her.

Darunia's face lit up and he began to dance. Victoria crawled back. Darunia stopped abruptly. He began to laugh. He managed to get out, "Ah, have no fears! Come, come, Mikhailnia, Victoria, follow me." Mikhailnia once again picked up Victoria and ran behind her father. Victoria began to get used to it, as it seemed she was never going to be set down. Finally, they came to a stop. Mikhailnia, her happy face shaped grimly, lay Victoria on the hard stone floor.

She looked around, and saw five out of place stained-glass windows. Why would they be…inside a volcano?  
>Nonetheless, they intrigued her. The first one was a baby, with the Triforce shining above it. The second, was the baby a little more grown, around ten years old. She, and another little girl, were playing in a tree. The Triforce appeared again in that one, casting a sort of shadow upon the tree. The third depicted the girl, a lot older, holding Din's pearl. In the next one, she is holding the master sword, and Din's Sheild, fighting off a blue, fish-like demon, with the Master Sword shining brilliantly. The one after that was the girl, completely unarmed, unconscious, held up by a man in a cloak. The last, the girl was facing forward, clasping a pendant in her left hand, and Din's pearl in the other, in front of the Triforce. Victoria grew dizzy, the windows becoming blurs. She kneeled down and drank some milk, to calm her nerves.<p>

That girl was Victoria.


	9. Teh Profosee

11.  
>She turned to Darunia, hoping to receive an answer. His eyes trailed over and all he could do was nod. Victoria's world spun around. She couldn't see straight. All her life, she had been the girl on the sidelines, cheering the others on. Now, being in the spotlight, she realized, was too much. Darunia came over to comfort her. His comforting eyes made Victoria come back to reality. They reminded her of her father.<p>

Darunia cleared his throat and explained, "Victoria, I suppose you've noticed these paintings. Do you know what they depict?" Victoria nodded solemnly.

She whispered, "me."

He nodded his large head. Mikhailnia stared straight ahead, as if asleep. Her muscles tensed, between minutes, relaxed, then again tensed. Victoria and Darunia never noticed her gleaming red eyes. Darunia cleared his throat.

"Follow me." He walked into the hallway. "Long ago, there was a goron brother, who had no name. He thought of all these prophecies. As soon as one has been fulfilled, we take them down. This is the last of his prophecies." He took a breath.

"A purest maiden, Of Hylian descent,  
>Will open her heart and begin to repent<br>From the ranch to the mountains to the lake, alight with hope, the demon emerges to help her cope.  
>Her golden heart causes much pain, but light will emerge from the Triforce once again.<br>Her divine light gives them the right  
>Holding her head high, she fights for her life<br>An untold secret is revealed in the dead of night."

Darunia closed his eyes. Victoria tried to remember how to breathe. What did it mean? She looked back over to the paintings. She had a secret…but what could it be? The girl inside Victoria's head began bashing her head against and invisible wall. Then her mind set itself on figuring out how to get out of it as fast as possible…but she couldn't do it. She couldn't just quit. She never quit. She could do this. Nothing stood in her way. She decided that, as soon as she found Ruto and got food, she would ride as fast as she could to Ganon's tower for some answers.

Darunia opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything. Victoria looked back over to him, then at Mikhailnia. She gasped. Her eyes were beaming a reddish glow. The two seemed blind. Then, she knew what was going on. It wasn't the rocks that poisoned the Gorons. It was something else that cast it upon them. She had to tell Darunia before it was too late. She walked closer to Darunia.

Her footsteps had an eerie ring to them. She felt as if something bad was about to happen. She put a hand on Darunia's shoulder, but immediately took it back. His temperature was skyrocketing. His hand shot up at her throat. She pawed at his hand, thinking only to breathe. She squirmed around in his clutches. She kicked the air but found it was no use. Even though her throat was just about crushed, she gulped. She didn't want to do this. She drew her sword with one hand, and with one swish of her sword, stabbed Darunia in the stomach. Blood speckled her sword. Darunia lost the power of his arm and set her down. She shed a tear. Darunia was gone

forever.  
>Victoria's breath came too quickly. Her heart pounded. She…was a murderer….<p>

Finally, she regained her strength. Her body felt stiff and the air around her was infected with the awful stench of guilt…and Darunia's blood. She stood up, and cautiously walked over to Darunia's body. She felt terrible. She had just murdered a friend. But, what choice did she have? He would have suffocated her eventually. He almost succeeded. What brought this upon him? She stared at his carcass. He looked so innocent.

A lump formed in her throat, but she pushed it back. Trembling, she grasped the hilt of her blade. Darunia twitched. Victoria jumped. She was sure he was dead. Pulling out her sword, she was at the ready to slash him again. But, all he did was cough up his blood. Wait…no…it wasn't blood. Blood wasn't black. She looked at her sword and gasped. The blood was inked black. Darunia twitched again, but Victoria didn't notice. Hoarse, he said one last thing. "Find your light…only then…" She tried to get another word, anything. One last clue. Perhaps she could decipher something about her future. But instead, he took a final gasp, and fell limp.

Victoria brought her stained fingers to his eyelids and shut them gently. She said a quick prayer, and an apology, to the Goddess Din and stood. Of course...she would understand, wouldn't she? There was no time to ponder. It was time to go.


	10. Getting out of here

12.

She was shell-shocked as she walked through the corridors, mindlessly trying to find the way to the entrance.

Then, she realized, he must have been possessed. But by what…or…who? His final words entered her mind.

"Find your light…" he had said.

Darunia had not been in control of his own body. As soon as one question was answered, another was asked. Go figure, Victoria thought. She looked at herself in the blade. The blade had to have the same magical properties as the real Blade of Evil's Bane, to kill a demon.

Kill a demon… The words rang in her head. What if she was making a huge mistake? Her life would just have to be cut short. But…if he escaped…how had he? Did somebody…or something free him? She thought of the man who had saved her and Zelda from the skull kids. He had a jewel on his forehead, symbolizing his eternal life. She thought closer of the memory. Ganondorf had that same jewel.

She thought that their savior was Ganondorf, but he would have to be, like, two-hundred years old. That man who saved them had a crack, in his jewel. She didn't know what this meant, in truth. She would ask Zelda tonight, If she ever got out. She looked back at Darunia. She thought of his life…losing his wife when he was called as a sage, so many years ago, raising Mikhailnia….Mikhailnia! She must have been watching the whole thing! Victoria felt awful.

Mikhailnia had to have been in shock, watching her new friend brutally murder her father. Victoria knew what she did was unforgivable. Did she dare meet Mikhailnia's eyes? Had they changed back to normal? She gripped the hilt of her sword tighter and tilted her head over in Mikhailnia's direction. Mikhailnia wasn't there.  
>She must've run off when I killed Darunia. Victoria winced. She didn't like the sound of that. She never liked the sound of death…Of pain…Of any suffering at all. She turned back to Darunia. His sound body, just lying there, made her feel like a criminal. She wondered how Mikhailnia must have felt.<p>

She cleaned off the "blood" from her sword on her skirt. It disappeared as soon as it hit the fabric and steamed into the air. She held her breath and stood. She didn't want that evil inside her. She looked closer. The vapor wasn't black. It was purple.

She shuddered to think what might have made it purple. Oddly, she didn't care. All she cared about right now was getting to Zora's domain.

She walked over to the large carved out door and pressed her hand against the border. She gave a sigh. This was turning out to be more trouble than she expected. She turned back to Darunia. Almost glad she defeated the demon that possessed him. She shook her head and chuckled. It was almost funny the way things had turned out. Almost. She tightened the strap on her bag and walked out into the entryway she had been talking to Darunia in, just an hour ago. She held on to her sword as if it was going to run away. Her knuckles white from her grip.

She only thought to walk forward. Following the beat of the Goron's feet, that walked throughout the stone city. She looked around, and realized that the city wasn't as complex as she'd thought. It was actually pretty straightforward. So that's how the "infected" gorons made it through the city. Victoria thought. It must've been the fact that she had been dragged around on Mikhailnia's shoulders. Eventually though, she came to the center of the city. Where light touched every corner, unlike the tunnels and the hall where she had spent so long in. Victoria breathed in the somewhat fresh air.

She coughed. Volcanic ash. She looked around the city. Gorons mindlessly hauled rocks. Why do they do that? She honestly didn't know much about Gorons.

They didn't teach it when Zelda and Victoria had been in school. Link didn't go to school. He wasn't allowed. Only Hylians were. He was technically a Kokiri. Victoria and Zelda had protested against this form of racism. Finally, they had won. Victoria's mind dwelled on those happy times. When Victoria had first met Zelda, she had half expected her to be stuck-up and snooty, being the princess and all. But…they had become the best of friends. You couldn't find a better pair than these two. Although they were almost completely opposite…They were inseparable.

Victoria had been walking while she dwelled on those moments they spent together. They went everywhere, shopping, gossiping, swimming, walking, talking, all those sleepovers, all those boys, even though Zelda was just about engaged to Link.

When Victoria thought about Zelda, she felt happier. Zelda had that effect on people. She always had. Her eyes could probably raise the dead. Victoria finally came to the end of the massive tunnels of the city and saw the great cave's entryway. Light and fresh air flooded the entrance. Victoria took in a deep breath. Her lungs never felt any better. Victoria closed her eyes. The scent of the new air filled her heart with hope. Even after all the recent activity, she knew she could do anything.

Her eyes reopened. The light stung her eyes blissfully. She looked down. Her red and black flats were so covered in blood, sweat, dirt and dust that they almost blended in with the ground. The only way she could tell them apart was her tan colored feet. Her eyes trailed over to something blocking the light. She looked up at it. It…It's a shield! She ran over to it and examined it closely. It had the Triforce printed on it, gleaming a solid gold. The perimeter of the shield was coated in diamond dust, and sparkled accordingly. The Stainless Steel-wrought iron blend of the material made Victoria smile. This was definitely a Death mountain exclusive. The Top, inlaid with Rubies, made Din's Mark….She gasped. It was the Legendary Din's Shield!

The Goddess Din used her fire to forge a shield virtually indestructible by conventional means, and it was sent down from the heavens long, long ago to aid an adventurer traveling into Death mountain….

She set it down and drew her brother's katana, almost forgetting she had it. She gripped it tight and swung it as hard as she could at the shield. His Katana, edged with diamonds, chipped, just a little on the side.

She picked up the shield, and reexamined it. It was still in pristine condition. Victoria smiled. It was absolutely perfect. She slung it over her shoulder, on top of her sheath, the way Link had always taught her.

Victoria folded up and put her brother's katana back behind her. She saw a huge shadow behind her and she froze solid. All the color in her face left. She turned around slowly, drawing her sword. The one Link had made just for her, with a touch of the Triforce in it.

It was Mikhailnia.


	11. Please Don't Eat Me! I Taste Bad!

13.

Victoria gripped her sword tight, in case…that happened again. She swallowed and turned just a little to the left. Her heart beat fast. Of course, she had always been easily excitable, but this was different. She choked up and tried to breathe. She felt no different than when she did when Darunia choked her. She had a fear it would be the same way. She took one big breath and turned around, all the way, she was right. It had been Mikhailnia. In her mind, Victoria was pleading, Oh God, oh God, please don't eat me!

This might seem silly to you, but Victoria was serious. She had no idea what Gorons were capable of. She backed up, pressing her hands against the stone wall. She studied Mikhailnia's face. She eased up. Mikhailnia was crying.  
>She let up the grip on her sword. The blood returned to her fingertips. She walked to Mikhailnia and lightly touched her on the shoulder. Mikhailnia shuddered. She wailed and held onto Victoria, nearly knocking her over. She was hyperventilating and Victoria did her best to hold the massive Princess up…The Queen. She corrected herself.<p>

Mikhailnia finally calmed down and sputtered out, "Wha—what could have done this to my f—father?"

She pulled back from Victoria and looked her in the eye. She smiled. "Thank you Victoria"

"For what? I just killed your father!"

"Hah…that may be but…something else would have first…"

"You should be hanging me right now!"

"No."

"Mikhailnia!"

"Victoria."

Mikhailnia pulled Victoria in closer. "Victoria. You just saved my father from the ultimate evil." Victoria shook her head.

"What? That purple stuff?" Mikhailnia nodded. "Victoria. I don't know exactly what that stuff is, but…my father was a sage. He passed it on to me. I have to help the….well….I don't know yet." She lied. Victoria got suspicious, but she didn't care. Mikhailnia tensed. She had almost revealed the secret!

She wanted to tell Victoria but if she did, that would seal her fate. Victoria must hear it from Zelda and Link.  
>Victoria looked behind her. "Th—this shield, why did you give it to me?" Mikhailnia blinked.<p>

"Oh…that…Victoria, that purple glop…it's not just…well…It's a person. The essence of evil is collected in it. I can tell with my sage-ly powers. Obviously, the Goddess Din has chosen you. This sheild has been passed down through my people to await her…decision."

Victoria took this in. "So…you're saying I need to protect myself?" She had already stepped away from Mikhailnia and was pacing the floor, grateful for the fresh air protruding from the carved out doorway.

Mikhailnia took a breath, frustrated. Are all Hylians so…curious? She thought with a sigh. Mikhailnia had no other options. She would have to reveal something. She wondered at how close Victoria would come to death if she told her…

"Victoria, listen to me. Trust no one. Go about your business as just another Hylian. Even if they are not dressed in purple, or…" She let out an exasperated snarl. She pushed Victoria to the side and picked up a large rock. She held it over her head and threw it at the wall angrily. She grunted and tried again. "Victoria. Don't listen to anybody that is close to you. The only thing that decides what you do is your heart. Oh, and your gut. Listen to it too." She let out a tired laugh. "Anyway Victoria, you have to promise me you won't take anything from anybody, even your own parents. Zora's Domain. Go there and, well, get food...maybe you'll find something else there. Maybe. I don't know. But You..."

"Go. Now. Fast."

Victoria turned around and sped down the cliff as fast as she could, without even saying goodbye. She knew it was too late. Mikhailnia's eyes began glowing again. Her hands were bruising. She was becoming a demon.

*******  
>Victoria ran and ran. She ran all the way back to Scarlette, who had made herself at home at the base of the mountain, to Victoria's expense. She looked into Scarlette's eyes. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting girl." She said apologetically. Scarlette neighed, as if to say, "Okay, Okay, just get us out of here!" Victoria dug in her bag for something Scarlette could eat, but instead, drew her sword as fast as she could. Something thumped her in the head.<p>

She turned around, sword in hand, but nothing was there. She felt her head. There was nothing but a bump. It wasn't even sore. She looked around for something that was roughly the size of her bump. She heard an echo that startled her.

"Victoria!" She looked around. It sounded like Mikhailnia. But…there was no sign of any living thing here. Not even a plant. She went back to searching the ground.

Something glistened in the dirt. She walked over to it. It was…A power bracelet. Link had one. These things were worn by the friends of Gorons so they could lift just about anything without the aide of a Goron. She slipped it on her arm. It slipped right back off. Victoria growled. Her arm was too small. She slid it up to her bicep, where is rested comfortably.

Victoria decided to test out her new piece of jewelry. She couldn't see any rocks in sight. She eyed Scarlette. She weighed around 150 lbs. Scarlette must've seen the way Victoria was eyeing her and backed away, but Victoria was too quick. She ran to Scarlette and lifted her. Victoria jumped, forgetting she was carrying Scarlette, who now weighed almost nothing. She set her horse back down, laughing at the way Scarlette quivered.

Victoria mounted Scarlette and rode off as fast as possible, through Kakariko, passed the jerky guard and made it back to Hyrule field. She breathed in the air, completely free of any toxins or volcanic ash. It felt amazing. Then she noticed the sun. She judged it to be about four o'clock. She didn't have much time. Victoria needed to get to Zora's Domain.

Victoria looked around. It was then and there she realized she had no clue where Zora's Domain was.  
>She always knew that it was on Lake Hylia, but still…the ancient lake was far to the southwest and she had no idea which way was Southwest. She had no compass and the Sun wouldn't move. She was happy that she had plenty of time, but, she knew there was no way she would find Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain.<p>

She rode around with Scarlette for a while before she had an idea. Hyrule Castle was in the north, The Lost Woods were in the East…She had Scarlette make a complete 180 turn. She roe as fast as she could, watching the birds and monster flowers and Boko Babas follow her until she came to a river. She beamed. Every river lead to Lake Hylia, which meant every river also lead to Zora's Domain and Princess Ruto. She thought silently, Zelda directed me to living sages. I wonder where Saria, Nabooru, Fado, Laruto, Makar, Medli and Impa are…. There sure are a lot of sages. Ruaru and Zelda are kept in the Temple of Time, safe and sound. Link was with them too…He should be anyway. She followed the river to the famous Lake Hylia.

The Lake was beautiful. Glistening clear water let you see the amazing array of fish. The fresh watery air enveloped Victoria. She wasn't even near the water and it felt as if she was swimming in it. Trees grew around the lake, giving off so much fresh air, Victoria felt as if she was a kid again, when everything would always work out.

She dismounted Scarlette and looked around. She couldn't see any sign of the entrance to Zora's Domain. All she could see was water, miles and miles of water. She stepped into the water, rolling up her tights. All the dirt from the goron city washed off of her, leaving her skin the natural olive color it had been. Fish came up to her and looked at her with awe.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small loaf of bread, that apparently Malon had snuck in there, tossing it into the water. She laughed as the fish fought over each crumb. She reached into the water with a gloved hand and pulled out a glistening blue fish. It flopped about in her hand.

"You know, you should take a pictograph. It'll last longer," Said a voice behind her.


	12. A Pictograph is Worth a Thousand Words!

14.

Victoria turned around, drawing her sword in the process. She held it at the ready, and pulled her shield out as well. The voice came from Princess Ruto. Victoria examined Ruto. She looked kind of like a fish, blue and tall. She had bluish eyes and looked like any other Zora, really. Ruto had no weapons. But a purse, slung over her shoulder. She was actually a reincarnation of the sage, but one nonetheless, like the others. The first Fado and Laruto were murdered, the first Makar and Medli were in their temples praying but they were probably still alive, who knows where Nabooru and Impa would have gone to die, and Saria would have gone back to the Lost Woods.

Victoria let her limbs fall to her sides. She slung her shield and sword back behind her. Victoria kneeled. Ruto smiled smugly and laughed. Ruto was extremely vain and stuck up. "You can get up, Lady. But, I'm glad you thought of it first." She paused, wanting Victoria to say something. When she didn't get what she wanted, Ruto said frustrated, "Why are you here?"

Victoria stood; she couldn't stand girls like Ruto. She hated being rude, but this was different. She knew exactly how to handle this. "For your information, Princess Zelda sent me here because…well…" She laughed. "It's top secret." Ruto turned up her nose. She looked down her nose and put her hands on her hips.  
>"Tell me or I'll make some trouble."<p>

This made Victoria laugh. "Go ahead. It'll be your loss, eh…princess?" Ruto glared at Victoria. But, then, she laughed.

"So, you do know who I am." She dug in her purse, and picked out a beautiful, shimmering tiara. She put it on and twirled around. "My name is Princess Ruto." She stopped and daintily put her arms down, like a ballerina. If she's trying to show off, she's not doing any good. Victoria thought smugly. She had been a dancer for the royal court along with Zelda throughout her life. Ruto had no idea, and that made Victoria laugh.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are. And, if you don't mind, I don't really care."

Ruto growled and said smugly,  
>"I didn't want it to come to this…"<p>

She snapped her fingers, smirking, ever so gently. Victoria pulled out her swords and shield, ready to attack if she needed to. Then, she heard a rumbling. She leaned forward, clutching her sword tightly in her hands, stretching out her gloves. She loosened up her grip then she saw her bracelet. If she thought that was tight, there was no telling how tight she could really be clutching it. Victoria saw something behind Ruto, no… somebody. Ruto moved aside and Victoria saw what was making the rumble. Fifty or Sixty hulking, malicious, genetically mutated Zora ran to Ruto's side, all standing at attention. This must be the Zora army….aren't they supposed to be skinny and fish-like? Victoria almost thought out loud.

Each of the Zora men (and women, it was hard to tell….) carried a spear, sharper than that of a diamond. Victoria showed no fear. She looked at Ruto and said sarcastically, "We having a tea party or a battle here?" Ruto was shocked. She had never been talked to in such a manner…and wasn't going to stand for it!  
>She smack-talked Victoria to the brink of her just going out and slashing off her head, but Victoria just smiled when Ruto said,<p>

"Fight."

The Zora army obviously didn't know what to do. If they attacked, they'd die. If they stayed put, they'd die. All of them, moving in a clone-like bluish blur, ran toward Victoria, spears pointing toward her. Ruto laughed her cruel, cruel laugh.

Victoria flinched when the army came close, but her pride wouldn't let Ruto win. She held up her shield, ready to block and thankful Mikhailnia gave it to her. She back flipped, to get away from the pointy spears. She wasn't very good at it though, and landed on her back. She thought to herself, Left foot back, target and jump, before she sprang up. The Zora army stepped back, ready to attack once again. Victoria held onto her sword with just a touch, in fear of breaking it. She held her breath just to think what she might have to do. She ran, as fast as she could, towards the biggest and surliest Zora. She looked up at him…his eyes trailed back to her apologetically. They didn't want to hurt her. They were only following orders. She looked throughout the mob; they all had the same look, except one.

He wasn't big and scary, so to speak. He stood in the front and looked down at her, with hatred and scorn. He looked around him and saw their expressions.

"What are you lot doing? GET HER!" he lunged forward. Victoria flipped, this time, correctly. She tugged at the corners of her mouth in triumph. Victoria held up her shield. The Zora warrior snarled his blue face. He had such a fishy body. Well, all Zora did, but, he looked like an experiment gone wrong.

He came close, and jabbed his spear at Victoria. She, of course, blocked it with her shield. He didn't even make a scratch. She slashed about with her sword, following his movements. Oddly, she couldn't seem to even graze him. He moved about so swiftly, Victoria could barely see him.

Suddenly, Victoria realized what he was doing. She stopped and spun around, her sword in hand, an attack Link taught her. She finally caught the Zora man and nicked his arm. Or so it seemed. The Zora stopped in his tracks and grabbed at his arm. It bled a strange mix of colors. It was between purple and blue. !purple! Victoria stopped. Mikhailnia had said that it wouldn't come to the domain. Maybe it had come, In search of her, but found nothing. Could…could it be hunting the Sages? She ran up to the injured Zora warrior and thrust her sword into his heart. His purple blood splattered around, evaporating like the last. But Victoria shed no tear and no sympathy for this…thing. She pulled her sword back out of his chest and twirled it about in her hand. Just to make sure he was dead, Victoria plunged her sword into his forehead, no doubt at least puncturing his brain, or what was left of it…

She returned her sword to its sheath, along with her shield. She looked to the other Zora and said, "if there's anybody else out there that is possessed, speak now or forever hold your peace.

She looked back at Ruto, who was staring in shock. Ruto had no idea Victoria was capable of anything like that. She clapped her hands slowly.

"Very impressive missy, tell me, what is your name?" Victoria's first thought was it was a trick. Ruto was going to have her arrested. Victoria cleared her throat.

"I'll tell you, if we go somewhere private."

Ruto crossed her arms. "Fine. Come with me." Ruto started walking to the lake but stopped. "Leave your weapons. My boys will take good care of them for you." Victoria was reluctant, but had no choice. Before she could answer, her sword and shield were ripped off her. The Zora army had begun washing off every spot and stain. She reached behind her. John's katana was still there under her dress…She had hid it well.

Ruto stopped in front of the lake and waited for Victoria, tapping her foot impatiently. Victoria didn't rush. She wanted Ruto to steam.

When she finally reached the edge of the lake,Ruto sighed, "Finally! Don't you have any manners in presence of royalty?" Victoria laughed.

She wanted to say, "You know Ruto, last week Zelda and I spent the night at the great fairy's fountain." But she kept quiet. She needed the food, and it was getting late.

Ruto obviously didn't mind Victoria's quiet measures and instead, hoped Victoria would just shut up and listen. "Look, all you have to do is swim for about five yards, okay?" Ruto spat out. She was leaning in like she was going to dive, but Victoria stopped her.

"I can't swim for that long. I have to breathe."

Ruto laughed. "If you can't swim an itty-bitty five yards on one breathe, then go over there and put on the blue body suit." She pointed to a small hut, which probably contained different bodysuits. Victoria walked over to the hut. It was pretty basic. It had four walls and a roof. Inside, there were three bodysuits; one red, one blue and one purple, each held up by a hook. Victoria didn't know why they were so significant, but put the blue one over her dress and pants. She eyed the red one. She took it off its hook. Victoria felt the fabric. It felt flame retardant, but it was light. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and stuffed it into her bag.

She came up to the purple one. She felt it too. It was heavy. Chain mail under story, double stitched over coating, and a middle fabric that…felt indestructible. She took it off the hook and slipped her hand through the sleeve. She gasped, the sleeve changed to match her skin! It's magic armor! Victoria thought. She stuffed it into her bag as well. Her bag really held quite a lot of stuff now. Victoria ran out of the hut and back out to the lakefront.

Ruto examined Victoria closely and said, "Now you can breathe underwater. Happy?"

Victoria nodded. "Just swim forward as long as you can. You'll be pulled in by the current of Zora's domain eventually." Ruto didn't wait any longer, and jumped into the lake. Victoria jumped in too, noticing she had little time to waste, the sun was leaning towards the west. She hoped she wouldn't spend as much time in Zora's Domain as she did in Goron City.

Victoria's dive made a small splash, sending a fish into the air. Victoria held her breath, and when she couldn't live with it any longer, she took in a breath. The water didn't overflow her lungs, but air. She was freaked out at first, but was sucked in by a current before she knew it. She went faster and faster, not making a sound. She kept breathing, and she marveled at how the bodysuit worked. She also wondered when she was going to get it off. It was itchy. Pilot fish came to her and blinked various colors. She looked ahead, Ruto was far ahead of her. She kept swimming. The sun shined through the water and Victoria was blinded.

She looked forward, squinting. Does Ruto do this everyday? She thought. Suddenly, she saw it. A large opening appeared, out of nowhere. She stopped abruptly, seeing the large, extravagant hole. Victoria struggled when she was pulled in by the swift current, but gave in when she realized that she was being pulled into Zora's Domain.  
>Victoria actually began to relax. The current pulled her along softly, letting her "breathe". She was pulled into a long and dark tunnel. She was pulled for about ten minuets, and Victoria almost fell asleep. But when Victoria finally floated to the cold, dry, Zora's Domain, she was elated.<p>

Zora's Domain was the most beautiful place she'd ever set foot in. Everything seemed to glow. A pool of water was set in the middle and icicles hung from the ceiling. Zora's roamed the beautiful kingdom, but unlike the possessed Gorons, nodded when they saw her. The Zora were marvelous swimmers and divers. Victoria noticed that she couldn't see Ruto anywhere. She looked around frantically and tried to get out of the water. Then, she realized, she couldn't get up. She could move, but she was frozen around the middle. She kicked frantically, trying to get out. She couldn't use her sword, it was underwater, with her lower body. She struggled and struggled, hoping to break the ice around her.

A Zora man noticed there was a Hylian frozen in the ice. He laughed at Victoria's struggle and walked over to her. Victoria saw him laughing and sneered.

"Are you going to help me up or what?" She asked him. The Zora man stopped laughing, and outstretched his hand.

"Here," he said. "Let me pull you up."

The Zora man gripped Victoria tightly, not letting even air slip through his fingers. Victoria clenched her hand slightly, since she still had the power bracelet on. Suddenly a thought dawned on her. I could have broken the ice with a flick of my wrist! She laughed at herself, picturing what she had to have looked like. Swiftly, the Zora man jerked her up. Cold air whistled through her hair. She wondered why it was so cold there. She stood up on the bank of the now frozen part of the lake.

The Zora man smiled and extended a hand once again. "I'm Ordnajela, by the way…but you can call me Ord." Victoria smiled.

"Very original. I'm Victoria." She let out a smile. He cocked his fishy head at her while handing her a warm silk-like towel.

"What's a pretty Hylian like you doing down here anyway?"Victoria chuckled at his bluntness.

"Well, for you're information Ord, I've lost princess Ruto. I need something from her." Ord gasped.

"So you're that girl! The one that killed Klay! Thanks for that." He continued, "He's been insane for a while. He went over to the lost woods to talk to a friend and hasn't been the same since." He shook his head.

"I can't help but wonder at what could have happened…" Victoria whispered,  
>"He was possessed." Ord's head shot up.<p>

"What?"  
>Victoria nodded. "I…I'm not sure of the details…but it seems something is hunting me…and it possesses the hearts and bodies of innocent souls in search…" Ord laughed, then saw Victoria's serious expression.<p>

"What, you mean it?" He snickered a little bit, but swallowed and stopped. "Why would they be after you?"

"I…I don't know. That's why I'm traveling…wait…no…actually, I am traveling to find out if…." She trailed off. "Can we go somewhere…private? What I am about to say may shock some people." Ord smiled.

"Of course. Come with me." He led her to the throne room of Zora's Domain, where Ruto sat, filing her nails…She looked up, and sneered in disgust.

"Ugh. You brought her back. Lovely. What does she want? Is this your new girlfriend or something?" Ord snapped at her.

"Shut up, baby sister."

Victoria stood, mouth agape. How could such a nice guy like Ord be related to…her? They bickered back and forth, until Ord grabbed Victoria's wrist and dragged her along to his room.

"Oh, how my baby sister irritates me," He sighed.

"I think she has that effect on everyone!" The two laughed, and Victoria, still clinging to the warmth of the blanket/towel, shivered a bit.

"Oh, my, I'm sorry. You should probably take your armor off if you want-" He didn't have to tell her twice. Because Victoria's dress had been preserved underneath the wetsuit, she peeled it off dramatically. Ord tried not to blush at the sight of a girl practically stripping in front of him. She was still cold, so she grabbed the towel/blanket and wrapped it around her like a cloak. She sat next to Ord on his icy bed.

"Well, as I was saying earlier…I need to find out if, you know, the Dark Lord has returned. I came here to get food for my journey, fresh fish that wouldn't spoil."

"Ah, of course! While….while it is a nice gesture to try and stop him, I highly doubt…"

He looked at her expression, so determined. He couldn't keep it from her…

"Okay, look, Victoria. I think it's time for you to hear this…I'm not supposed to tell you…"

She perked up. Was it related to the windows in Death Mountain?

Ord put his hand on her shoulder. "Come with me, we'll go get your stuff." He stood and walked to his door, taking her hand.

He was warm, a weird trait for a Zora. She made sure he stayed a turquoise blue all the while. He led her to a room, filled with weapons and…Victoria's Master Sword! Malon's Bag! She ran up and grabbed her things. She looked around for her shield…it was no where to be found.

"Ord…where's my shield…?" She asked. He smirked.

"They probably shoved it in your bag…that thing can hold everything!"

"Really? But…" She dug her hand into her bag, and found something under all the glass bottles, next to the pearl. Ord was right. Half her arm was digging into the bag, although it was roughly the size of a chessboard. She latched onto the steel plate and pulled it out.

"Holy Din!" It shined brilliantly, even more so than her pendant used to…her heart fell. Her mother gave her that before she and her father became part of the Royal Court-back when she and Victoria's father could be home. It held a special place in her heart…and made her happy in the darkest of times. She remembered her mother's words…

"When you are alone, I hope you look at this and remember me…may it show you that you are the light of my life."

Victoria teared up. Her mother hadn't seen her in a long time. She made a silent vow to come home, no matter what, and would find her pendant. Ord saw her solemn expression.

"Eh…what's wrong, Victoria."

"My pendant. It was lost earlier today…"

"A ruby pendant?"

"Ye-Yes! It was huge...and, and, It had golden trim around it, and shone like the sun and moon!"

"Haven't seen it." Victoria made an annoyed face. Ord giggled. "But, if you are who I think you are, you'll find it."

"Who…who do you think I am, Ord?" He smiled.

"Someone very special. Hyrule is in a dark time. My sister can feel it. The water of Lake Hylia is tainted, and Zora are dying left and right. See, Klay went to the Lost Woods to ask the Great Deku tree if there was any way to stop it…but as you can see, he became malevolent…and wanted nothing more than the death and destruction of anyone who dare cross his path. He began talking of this…Light Force, and nothing more."

"The Light Force? I've heard of that, but I thought it was only a myth."

"It…may not be. See, people think that the Light Force is the missing piece of the Triforce…a compilation of the Goddesses' power. It was made to ensure that any darkness was expelled. It exists only within the heart of a pure and noble spirit." He stared, worried, at Victoria. "However…if the one holding the Light Force is exposed it its power, the heart becomes unstable. The power of the Light force may kill its bearer"

"Why would it do that? This all makes no sense. You're speaking of a fairy…" She stopped herself right there. What she had seen in Death Mountain, and all the other strange things that had been happening…she was of no right to be making assumptions.

"This is no fairy tale. I believe that, if Ganondorf has truly returned, he is searching for the Triforce, and nothing more. He wishes…to find the Light Force. And use its raw power to conquer Hyrule once again." Victoria sighed. She knew it, of course, but a dreaded sense of regret emerged over her in case…he was truly innocent. Something occurred to her.

"Wait…you didn't answer my question. Why would the Light Force kill its bearer?" Ord gulped.

"The Light Force is an absolute power. It knows not of good or evil. The power may be too great, the bearer might…be overcome. The person's heart ruptures, and their soul is sent to the scared realm to live amongst the Goddesses and the Oracle of Light."

"Is…is there any way to stop the power?"

"I…I don't know…it all depends on the person. It seems as if the persons chosen to live…is arbitrary." He looked down.

"So…what are you saying…? You're not telling me…I can't be. I'm no 'pure and noble spirit'." Victoria stopped breathing. Ord gasped, and choked up. His own heart stopped, bile filled his throat.

"No, of course not…m-my sister would have recognized you…" He trailed off, too eager to cover his tracks. Victoria blushed. How could she make such an assumption? She blushed madly.

"Then…why did you say I was special?" Ordnajela thought quickly.

"Because…you…you obviously have a close connection to the Goddess Din. I thought, perhaps, you might…"

"Know who it was, then?" She smiled. "Probably Zelda. Din knows she has everything else going on for her. I love that girl," She laughed. "But…back in death mountain, I saw these prophetic things, and Darunia told me…"

"Well…I have no idea of the things in Death Mountain…But I'm sure you'll figure it out on you-" He stopped short, and gasped.

"LOOK OUT!"

He dove and knocked over Victoria, who rolled out of his grasp, squirming.

"What is your…" Then, she saw it. It was Ruto, her eyes a bright red. Victoria scrambled to her feet, drew her sword, and raised her shield. She couldn't kill Ruto…What would she do! Ruto was as young as she…and meant so much to everyone…Victoria shook her head. There had to be another way. She would never kill another person. Ever. She dropped her weapons, and rushed over to Ruto. Victoria grabbed the Princess' shoulders and shook her violently.

"What are you doing!" She yelled frantically, cold sweat filling her palms. She felt the presence of something else…something greater than herself. The young Hylian stared desperately into Ruto's cold, unforgiving eyes. Her tiara fell to the ground and snapped in half. Ruto never blinked. Victoria shook harder, and said, like in Kakariko, without accord to her own free will,

"Thou. Shall. Leave the heart of the innocent.

" Without her noticing, Victoria's eyes and hands began to glow a golden light. Ordnajela gasped.

"I COMMAND THEE! LEAVE THIS BODY!"

Victoria had no idea what was going on. She was sure that she had said the words…but they weren't hers. But the spirit of Din wasn't with her. She would never come with Victoria to Nayru's territory of Zora's Domain. So…what gave her the power? As she felt Ruto's body fall limp in her hands, she felt the Zora's fragile heartbeat against her own. Ruto was alive. Victoria smiled.

Ord rushed over to his sister's exhausted body. "B-Brother?" She whispered. "What…" He shushed her, and layed her in his bed, where she fell into a gentle sleep. The young Prince sighed a sigh of relief. Victoria walked over and sat on a seashell chair, next to the bed.

"She'll be fine…I don't know how, but she will." Ord smirked.

"How…how did you do that? The glowing thing?" Victoria choked on her still-heavy breath.

"The glow-what-now?"  
>"Your eyes…and fingertips…they glowed…kind of like the sun." Victoria shook her head, looking down.<p>

"I have…no idea." She looked around. No windows. "Say…what time is it?" Ord frowned.

"You're going to leave, so soon?"

"I know…it's terrible. But I do. I need to be at the tower to meet Zelda. I have to be there to protect her.

"I see…but, you still need the fish, right?"

"Of course…" She smirked.  
>"Well, forget it."<p>

"Excuse me? What was that?" Victoria's temper flared. Was she now not worthy?

"No, please. Stay calm, dear. It's…the water of Lake Hylia has been tainted, remember? No water, no fish."

Victoria's stomach growled fiercely. "I'm…sorry. Maybe…"

He walked over to a cabinet, and tossed her a bottle filled with a blue, thick liquid. "Drink this when you get…to near death with your hunger. It will help, I'm sure. But, not now."

"Yes, I need to save it, of course…"

"I truly am sorry for wasting your time…" She ran over and hugged Ord. Although she had only met him a while ago, she felt a certain closeness to him. One close to what she felt with Link, but not quite. Link was…like her twin. Ord, was…she couldn't put her finger on it. But, he was special, alright. His body was tight at first, but he relaxed, and smiled.

"You're…sure you can't stay?" Victoria pulled away and ran to his door, looking over her shoulder.

"No…I really don't wanna be around when Ruto wakes up. She would so kill me for breaking her crown." She started off, but Ord stopped her.

"Wait, if you're in a hurry, this should come in handy." He threw something at the wall in front of his doorway, and created a door. Victoria opened it, and was back at the mouth of the River where she left Scarlette. Scarlette neighed in happiness when she saw her.

"Sorry girl, it's complicated. You alright?" She looked into her prized horse's honest eyes. They seemed to speak to her. "Don't worry. I've been quite comfortable out here," She seemed to say. Victoria smiled, and saddled up. Then, she noticed, she couldn't see much around her, no…she couldn't even see in front of her. She looked up into the sky. The moon was high. She had been in Zora's domain for far too long, with little results.

It just created more and more questions. She gave a frustrated grunt, and pulled out her little flashlight, Din's pearl.

It gave off a great deal of light, but the darkness was strong. Then, oh, then, it started doing the obvious. It thundered, and it rained. Victoria was soaked to the bone. How she wished she didn't leave her wet suit in Ord's bedroom. She giggled at how her thoughts sounded. She followed the light of her pearl and her instincts of getting to the Temple of Time. Behind which, Ganondorf's tower would reside.

Scarlette, being a horse, dodged the rocks and random cliffs and monsters that plagued Hyrule Field at night. Victoria held on lightly to the reins and barely gripped the saddle with her legs, mostly in fear of hurting the old girl, and also because she didn't need to. Scarlette was a swift and clean rider, rivaling even Epona.  
>Finally, she reached the abandoned ruins of the Temple of Time. She found a dry spot, hopped off Epona and pulled her close.<p>

"Don't worry about me, girl," she whispered, "Just go find Grandpa Hyrule, okay?" Scarlette neighed and trotted off to the nearby Hyrule castle. She watched, as the last normal thing in her life disappeared. Victoria ran around the Temple of Time, in ruin, and hopped over the barrier that stood as a sort of "backyard fence", separating the sacred temple from Ganon's tower. The youth in red took a deep, water-logged breath, and ran, gripping Din's Pearl with white knuckles.

She took refuge under the great stone gates, and her heart pace quickened. Suddenly, for the first time in her life, she had been truly terrified. She realized, she was taking a gamble on this man. She knew he was back-whether or not he was prepared to kill her was another story. Victoria knew that…if she ventured any further, they may very well be her last steps.

She looked at her tan line where her pendant normally rested, then at Link's present to her, at the bag Malon gave her, at the shield forged by Mikhailnia, and then, finally, felt her brother's katana. Then it hit her. Even if it meant being killed…She would venture on, for them. She would be the sole example of Ganondorf's demeanor. If she died, and he was evil, they would know, and flee. This gave her newfound hope.

Victoria closed her eyes, prayed to Din, and walked through Ganondorf's Great Stone Gates.


	13. Maybe Not

15.

The door was battered down, so Victoria carefully stepped over it. The castle was eerily lit, so the girl put away her pearl. She looked forward, and saw the throne, on which the King of Evil once sat…and probably did today. She looked above her, where a large, marble Triforce was set. She briefly thought of Zelda…and did a 180; She had forgotten to wait for her!

Victoria took a single step, before remembering that Zelda told her to go on without her…maybe Zelda didn't plan to come at all, and wanted Victoria to go on her own. Victoria turned back, and tiptoed her way across the room. She noticed, there was a broken empty bottle…one that probably held the First Link's fairy…or a potion of some sorts. Maybe even LonLon milk, like Victoria had brought along. The Hylian trekked on, seeing the battle scene stained in old, very old, blood. She shuddered. The halls were crumbling, but none of the pillars fell. Everything was incased in black…not a happy atmosphere for poor Victoria.

She came to a large door, and stopped in front of it…it opened on it's own. She gasped, scaring a few keese…Ugh…stupid, useless Keese. Go die! Her thoughts made her giggle a bit. She always felt the hook-tailed bats were useless. But, she walked into the next room, albeit nervously, which was a bedroom, fit for…a Princess. The room was brightly lit, with the light of the moon shining in through ten stone windows. She looked around, and saw a Vanity, with a treasure chest next to it…her curiosity got the absolute better of her so, she bent down and opened it.

It held her pendant! The ruby glow brightened as it reunited with its master, and the gold trim spun around the huge 115-karat ruby. (A/N: Yeah. This thing is freaking huge.) Victoria would just have to put it back where it belonged around her neck and…  
>She saw a shadow. A large shadow. Behind her. She stopped all unnecessary body functions…like breathing, blinking, thinking. She tried to stand, but her knees buckled underneath her…and she fell. As her vision blurred, she felt her head bump against the concrete floor…no…not the floor. Armor. Nonetheless, the impact caused enough pressure on her head to knock her out. Consciousness slipping away, she grasped her pendant, clutching it with white knuckles to her chest.<p>

She wouldn't lose it, or her mother, again.


	14. JUST LIKE SMB3 IT WAS ALL A DREAM

_16._  
><em>Everything was bathed in a magnificent glow. Victoria smiled, as she had been here before. She felt no weight upon her shoulders…her weaponry was missing…not that she'd need it here.<em>

_In this world, the young girl became another, who walked on bright, fluffy clouds, in a new formal, silken, white and gold dress and heels, watching as people marched in and out of marble buildings, going through with their daily activities. A young man of her age approached her, although she had seen him many times before. He was a Gerudo, still unbathed and lacked the shine of her people._

_Since many people from the underworld were those who died during the execution of Termina, they could redeem themselves and prove their worth to the Goddesses. Then, they would be let to live in the Golden Kingdom, instead of suffering in Termina, against the wrath of Majora. Every time she saw this particular Gerudo, her heart sped up…and hoped he would live with her. But it would take a lot to prove his worth…_

_"Rise, child of the underworld, prithee, what doth bringeth you here?" He looked downtrodden._

_"O, your majesty, Oracle of Light…" She stopped him by raising a hand._

_"I know, sire. Thou still hast the essence of the world below on your skin." She began to raise a hand and cleanse him, but he stopped her._

_"N-no, Oracle…It is not meet that one of my degree stay in thine purest kingdom, so good your worship. Thy golden powers art needed on the surface." The Oracle was puzzled._

_"Whatever dost thou mean, Young Gerudo?"_

_"Darkness still looms over the Kingdom of Hyrule…it seems darkness hath invaded the people themselves, so much the darkness fills the land, Milady." The oracle pondered this for a moment. Her time had come...but what was it she was supposed to do? Then she remembered. She unclasped her ruby necklace and gave it to the boy._

_"Taketh mine pendant, boy. Run it to thy Queen, the Goddess Din."_

_The Oracle started to turn, but the boy interrupted by turning her shoulder lightly. A familiar touch that sent shivers down her spine._

_"Milady…an' it please thee…what exactly is the purpose of this?"_

_"The Goddess shall know what to do with it, good messenger."She smiled at his still-puzzled expression. She wrapped her golden-gloved hands around his bloodstained own, enclosing the pendant. "This pendant holdeth my very soul. It shall go down to mine successor, who shall shine light upon the realm of Hyrule in my stead. However, if the bearer's heart doth not accept Her role, my soul will take her own back here, to live with me."_

_The boy looked down._

_"I stand relieved. Marry, I thought…she would be you. Your successor, yes, Milady?"_

_"She 'tis the physical embodiment of myself, yes, but, she and I will be different in many ways. Only the Goddesses doth know how much different she shall be."_

_"So…" The Gerudo took his hands from hers, placing the pendant safely in his pouch. He looked up to the Oracle with his blazing red-and-yellow eyes, and gently lifted her right hand to his lips. The Oracle blushed madly._

_"Marry, she will falleth in love, of course…"_

_The Young Thief smirked._

_"Prithee, art thou suggesting thou doth love me, Milady?"_

_He lowered her hand, placing his to the small of her back, pushing the Oracle closer to him still, making her blush become deeper and deeper. He towered over her, tipping her head back. Slowly, he pressed his lips against hers, making the Oracle melt in his arms. He pulled back, waiting for an answer._

_He didn't need it, as the Oracle brushed his cheeks and wrapped her hands around his neck. Her forehead against his, tears emerging from her eyes, she whispered,_

_"Thou knowest this, sire, as I jest not. But thou must also know…" He kissed her lightly, once more, and quickly removed her hands from his neck. He frowned, and turned away from her. The Oracle hung her head, silver-lit tears dripping from her eyes._

_"That a foul messenger, pardoned heavily for his actions as a thief and murderer, not test his own Goddess, whose will be law, by falling in love with Their Golden Grace, tainting her pure light. 'Tis a cruel game the Goddesses play._

_Goodbye, Hestia."_

_He ran off, towards the Golden Gates of the City of Light, leaving the sobbing Princess to fall to her knees. Many of her subjects ran to her side, but she shooed them away. As her head fell, her ruby tiara fell to the ground, letting her hair fall in front of her face. Her hands gripped the fluffy ground. People circled their Princess, wondering what made the usually-brilliant girl fall._

_Whispers began, and as Hestia clawed her golden clouds, she vowed that she and Orpheus would be together…_

_"In one life or another…"_


	15. Back in CandyLand

17.  
>Victoria opened her eyes. So…it was one of those dreams again. Funny. Based on how drowsy she was, she couldn't have been asleep too long. She curled up in her familiar sheets…no…Victoria shot upright.<p>

This wasn't her bed; this wasn't her room. …Suddenly, memories began to flood her. She looked around. Everything was coated red in Din's mark, the silken sheets, the satin pillows, the windows…Her new dress…Wait, what?

Victoria hopped out of her bed. Her underclothes were intact, The shirt and tights she was wearing underneath her dress…but she looked into the nearby mirror. She wore her own dress, however, instead of a full Triforce on her belt, it was a single piece of it. She also noticed her hair…it had been washed, and she herself seemed to glow…It looked weird. She felt like she was…Zelda. She opened her fist and found the pendant.

Gawking at the stranger in the mirror, Victoria didn't notice the pounding of footsteps coming towards her door. The door swung open, making her jump and draw an imaginary sword…she sighed. Her weapons were still missing. The confused teenager looked up at her captor. It was the guy who rescued her in that alley! He smirked.

"Good Morning, Miss Victoria." Victoria narrowed her eyes.

"Why so familiar?" She growled. He laughed, shaking his flaming red hair. Victoria had to admit, he looked even better in the midnight moonlight. She noticed the crystal first thing…it seemed implanted in his forehead, but he removed it as he noticed her staring. It let his bangs fall, drawing attention once more to his astonishing Brown and Red eyes. He had a rough, defeated look about him. His square jaw and neck were covered in scars, and he was shoulder-to-shin covered in cast-iron armor. He seemed like a symbol of hopelessness, with his black exterior. The King ran his hand through his flaming hair.

"Why so serious? To be honest, I thought you would be more…excited to see me." He took a confident step forward. Victoria looked at him funny, which provoked a hearty laughter to erupt from his throat.

"Who…are you?"

"I? I am the great King…" he trailed off as he finally looked at her. He saw her brilliant brown eyes. Not quite retaining his stature of his past life, he let his jaw drop slightly. Victoria snickered a bit, watching him look at her head to toe. He snapped his head back up. His blush was barely visible under his dark skin. Then, he smirked. A sign of his still cocky attitude.

"You come into my castle, go through my things, sleep in my rooms…and yet you do not know who I am?"

Victoria gasped, taking a step back. Her heart leaped, making her want to vomit. She was standing in the presence of the King of Evil. The Dark Lord Ganondorf. He chuckled.

"Do not fear me, for I mean no harm to you." Victoria glared.

"Then what have you done with my things, and my dress? What sick game are you playing, Ganondorf? How weird _are_ you!" He walked to her, and raised his hand. She flinched.

"Relax. I would never hurt you." His voice itself sounded hurt. But she knew not to fall for his tricks. As if he could read her mind, he spoke, "No trickery. Look. I am unarmed." He raised his hands to prove himself.

"Whatever. You know as well as I do that you need just smack me across the room to kill me."

"I had the chance to kill you, didn't I?" Victoria remained quiet. "If I wished you dead, darling, you would be. My servants may have changed your clothes, but I could have at any time, said 'kill her.'"

"I see. So why am I alive then?" Ganondorf laughed his menacing laugh once again.

"Because you, my dear…" He tried putting a hand on her cheek, but it went right through her. He gasped, and dropped his hand. A fell look came across his face. "I see." Victoria reached out as well, trying to push him. She nearly fell forward and through him.

"What's going on!" Ganondorf turned and walked to a stone-cut window. He put his hands on the bottom edge and hung his head. Then Victoria saw. Moonlight was shining through him. He was not a whole person…

"The Goddesses have taken away most of my life energy…it appears I can no longer appear in a world of light." Victoria had an overwhelming urge to ask how to help, yet she bit her tongue. She was not yet convinced.

"The rules of the Sacred Realm say that only a truly cleansed spirit can leave without accord of the Sages or the Goddesses themselves…As I was reborn, only the part of my soul that was not evil remained. My light half. Unfortunately…the darkness still exists…but I cannot interact with someone as pure and whole as the Oracle of Light."

Victoria jumped back. Her dream… "What…is the Oracle of Light?" Ganondorf laughed and ran his large hand through his hair.

"The servant of the Goddesses. Their 'Princess', if you will. When a land governed by the Goddesses has fallen victim to evils, they send an Oracle of light to cleanse the land."

"So, what…? You think…" Victoria repressed her laughter. Between controlled breaths, she spat, "Right. You can't touch me. Well, how am I supposed to believe my belt changed, I awoke in a bed, stripped of my things? Nice try."

He shook his head and sneered.

"Like I said earlier, if you were paying any attention whatsoever, my servants handled you. But, if you want to know, when you are not wearing your pendant, you do not have the full power of the Oracle within you." She was skeptical…but took off the pendant briefly. Ganondorf walked over to her, unaware of the consequences about to take place.

"Now." He demonstrated his point by grabbing her around the waist with his right arm, the other touching her chin. The King lowered his face to hers, so close, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her cheeks. He crept closer to her and kissed her tentatively. For a man that was so very much taller than she…He…Victoria's thoughts were jumbled. Her arms dangled lamely by her sides for a moment, but she instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck…Something was screaming how wrong this was.

Cast aside all the murders, all the pain. Cast aside the theft, cast aside the fact that, had he succeeded, she would not exist. No…Victoria met him…not an hour ago. Why was she infatuated? Nothing had ever made her feel this way. It was like being punched in the gut and jumping off of a cliff at once. His eyes were flecked with bits of red, all about them.

A train wreck of words attempted to burst out of Victoria's mouth. "What….Why…I…" She blushed the deepest crimson and settled herself, placing her hands on his chest. His cold armor made her shiver, making Ganondorf pull her closer. She pushed a little against him, and actually separated from him a little. She cleared her throat and tried again. "What are you doing?" He smiled, and released her. She staggered backwards.

"I…I don't know."

Victoria smiled a tiny bit. All that time in the Sacred Realm meant he hadn't been with a girl in decades. She went over to the bed, where her necklace was, and put it in it's place. Ganondorf saw this out of the corner of his eye and tried to stop her. But it was too late.

Something terrible happened. Light emitted from it, even more so than usual, and the girl's knees buckled underneath her. The King rushed over to her, but as she was harboring the Oracle, he could do naught to help her. The light penetrated his body, and made him appear ghost-like, even.

Victoria let out a groan of pain and the light began to die down. She began breathing raggedly and deeply. Now on all fours, she collapsed and felt the cool concrete on her face. Ganondorf fell to her side immediately. His voice shook.

"A-Are…"

"No."

"What do I…"

"Zelda…."

Ganondorf winced at her raspy, weak voice. He frowned, but nodded. Before turning to leave, he grabbed a silk pillow on the ruby bed and placed it as close to Victoria as he could get. At the doorway, he looked back. The once brilliantly shining girl was very pale, and dull. He had to hurry…


	16. This is getting good!

18.  
>Under the cover of his hood, Ganondorf ran through the wreckage that was his castle. He cringed at the sight of the Temple of Time, and pressed on to the one place he hated the most in the world. More than the blazing heat of the Gerudo Mesa where he was born. More than the Kokiri forest where his assailant was raised, and children had the childhood he never would. Nay, Hyrule Castle was the one place he could never have…and that made him hate it with such an ignited passion…<p>

That of which was only matched with the passion he felt when he was close to Victoria, how his heart seemed to sink into his stomach, and leap into his throat at the same time. How The once Great Dark Lord, King of Evil, Prince of Darkness, could be swooned by a mere girl, baffled him…however he really didn't care to question it…rather, his heart ached to think he left her lying there, in pain, on the cold concrete of his castle.

Suddenly, a voice erupted in his head. It was Ganon, his beast. The embodiment of his evil…even the Goddesses could not separate him from…himself. The voice was a dark, sinister hiss. The King hated the voice…it made him uncomfortable, maybe even a little scared. The raspy sound sent a wave of guilt down is spine.

"What are you doing, Man! Risking your life for such a pathetic little girl? We had plans, we had a future! We could have been King. The ruler. An omnipotent pure power. Countless girls would fall at your feet, yet you give it up for this…this…Princess of Light who may not even love you. You can't even touch her."

Ganondorf snarled to himself, and growled.

"You. You had plans. You…you're evil. Not me…" The voice laughed, booming in Ganondorf's conscious.

"But, look at us. You can't run away from us." Ganondorf cocked his head towards a nearby puddle, bent down, and saw the reflection he hadn't dare to look at in years. The face he did not grow up with, the unfamiliar softness of his brown skin…but he noticed, his crystal crown cracked…he was no longer immortal. There was a flash of blood red light, and Ganondorf saw his beast. His cross to bear.

A green boar, blood leaking from its tusks. It smiled evilly at him. Ganondorf yelled in frustration and scattered the water with his fist. The voice whispered to him, "You cannot deny who you are…every step you take with that girl will lead her closer to death."

"No. I will protect her…with everything I know."

"But, what else have you ever known…but evil?"

The voice cackled maniacally, fading away until Ganondorf was left on the street, rain beginning to trickle on his head. He looked up at the rain…something he had never seen before. Things his people would pray for, but the Goddesses could not give them. It soaked his hair, through his cloak. Ganondorf stood, sighed, and noted the one light in Hyrule Castle…no doubt Princess Zelda's room.

The voice still haunted him, His last words echoing and pounding. What else have you ever known…but evil? The voice was…right. All of the King's life, he had been taught to steal, lie, cheat…Then came the vengeance he had against the happy people; those who didn't have to stoop so low, just to survive…How he hated them. That hate had fueled Ganon's evil, his reason to want the Triforce. But his evils had gotten the better of his former self…and he went mad.

The present Ganondorf was darkened by his thoughts. He deserved to have everyone hate him. The blood on his hands served as a warning to all that may pass. Every word said by Zelda, every echo of Ganon…was all true. But Victoria…she had seen through his evil.

"The Girl of pure love…" the Goddesses had said to him. That was what she was. Pure love and naivety. She protected what she held dear with an iron fist, and invited into her heart anyone who would come. Ganondorf thought of her smile as she slept…and forced his legs to travel faster.

He stealthily hopped from home to home, finally making his way up the tower. He looked inside, and saw the Princess sobbing in Link's arms. He inched away to where he would not be seen and looked in.

"My Nayru, Link! What have we done? Where is she? I cannot feel her force! C-Could he have…" She broke into another fit of sobs. Link held her closer, and Ganondorf noticed…tiny pins of tears were leaving his eyes. So. He is as close to her as the princess. The scene touched the King for a moment, and every word they spoke bit into his heart. They think I killed her. A wave of guilt hit him. Zelda spoke once more. "This is…all our fault. We…we could've stopped this! We could have…" Link grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. Ganondorf gawked. He had never heard Link speak before, outside of powerful grunts.

"What? What could we have done? The Goddesses told us to protect her, and let her live up to her destiny. She's supposed to save Hyrule, honey. Nearly every area of Hyrule has been attacked, and she's saved countless lives already…If we had tried to stop this, who knows the retribution the Goddesses will give, not just us, but all of the Kingdom! By defying them, we might as well change the name of the land to Termina."

Zelda stood up angrily.

"You sound so damn casual, Link! She's our best friend, our sister. I would even go as far as to say she's our baby. She could die, Link. Regardless if she saves us or not!"

Link took off his signature hat and threw it against the wall.

"Zelda. I've saved Hyrule, New Hyrule, Skyloft. Every time, there is a chance I would die. And every time, I've come back. I've been reborn, and I've done it again. All for the sake of Hyrule and you, baby. You know Victoria doesn't give a shit about herself. All she cares about is the welfare of others. If she knew she was the one person, the one reason all these people died, she would…she would probably kill herself."

"But, all these lies, Link? She was worried sick about you yesterday morning…and I had to make up some asinine excuse, and strike up a deal with Lucas…and…everything was fucking staged, Link! And she thinks this was all real!" Link grabbed the sides of her head and looked into her eyes fiercely.

"This is all too real, darling. People are being attacked, all because Vaati is after Victoria. She has to stop him." Ganondorf gasped silently.

His old rival, the Mage of the Wind. Vaati.

Early in Ganondorf's years, as a child in the Gerudo Mesa, he was approached by Vaati, who was also just beginning his evils as a Picori. They struck up a deal. First one to take over Hyrule got the Triforce. The other would have to watch.

Ganondorf had an erratic respect for Vaati. He would even call the Dark Mage a friend. But he was also lesser than he. Ganondorf's powers had been given to him by the goddesses. Vaati stole his from his master. The King thought for a moment. He had actually stolen the powers from Din. A very, very long time ago when he first invaded the sacred realm.

But then he remembered all the times Vaati had protected him from harm. He recounted upon his memories of the old purple mage and remembered…He owed Vaati his life. Ganondorf's heart leapt. If anything were to happen to Vaati, he, too, may lose his life…See, long ago, as Ganondorf was on the ground of his castle, defeated once again by Link. With Ganondorf weak and dying, Vaati swooped in.

"I see you've been beaten again…and no closer to the Light Force than before." Ganondorf could not speak, so Vaati used Picori magic to heal him. Hid voice returned, albeit squeaky and embarrassing due to Vaati's antic behavior. They sat and talked for hours…

"I have no use for the Light Force, boy. All I desire is all three pieces of the Triforce." Vaati laughed.

"You know nothing of the powers of the Light Force. How much more powerful it can be than three, nay, ten of the Triforce!"

Ganondorf sneered.

"Blasphemy!"

"No, no, only truth. See, the Light Force is the power created by the goddess' insane love for this pathetic world we live in. It is fueled by love and" he sneered, "purity."

"So it is useless in your hands then?" Ganondorf chuckled.

"Shut up, fool. It is not just a mere tetra force like your prize. It is located in the heart of a pure girl who loves all. The light force is sent down every once in a while, when Hyrule seems to be in danger."

"I see. So how would you use it?"

"By putting what the girl loves most in danger." Ganondorf smirked.

"Seems a bit cruel…not cruel enough. What are you planning to do…?"

Vaati smiled a sadistic smile.

"Make her fall in love with me, and maker her my queen. Then, she will be my prisoner, and watch as her friends and family burn, unbeknownst it is all her unconscious doing."

"Lovely. But what happens if you fall in 'love' as well?"

"Please. I no longer have the capability to love. But, hypothetically, if I did, then my evils would haunt me until it was time to kill her…or myself."

"A win-win situation in my book." He said, taking an apple out of his rucksack and biting into it, "She lives, you get some, and you win Hyrule. She dies, you get some, and you get to kill." Before they said goodbye, Vaati asked Ganondorf tentatively,

"Are we, you know, friends?" Ganondorf bellowed in laughter.

"Of course! We are now linked by blood, my brother. Nothing could ever separate us."

"I'll bet you anything, you'd kill me in an instant for a pretty lady." Vaati snickered at The King, who suddenly turned serious.

"No, I mean it. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." Ganondorf frowned. "Do you not believe me?"

"Only time will tell, friend. Only time will tell."

The mage laughed, the two rivals clasped wrists, and the he disappeared. Ganondorf was left pondering his next attack.

Back in present day, Ganondorf sighed. How he could have said those things so long ago…it made him shudder-no. That wasn't him. Well, it was. But it wasn't him any more. He was not evil. Not any more. He wouldn't let himself become Ganon. He loved Victoria, he really did. No matter what Ganon had to say about it. The cad he was once more would have put her sanity and heart in danger…it made him sick. Ganondorf remembered the voice of Ganon…once more, echoing in his chest, pounding in his heart…What have you ever known…but evil…? He scowled, looking back into the window at the Princess and her lover.

"Link…" She whimpered, "even you couldn't kill Vaati. You could only strip him of his power."

Link sighed.  
>"And every two hundred years, he returns…stronger than ever. I couldn't stop him from re-learning magic. I cannot…I…"<p>

Link released Zelda and punched a stone wall, leaving a small crack in it. He gave a manly whimper.

"It's all my fault, isn't it. If I was a little bit stronger…I could have killed him. But no…" Zelda reached out for his hand tenderly.

"Link…our past lives do not mark us." She looked down. "Even the reborn Ganondorf is not as evil as his past lives. I can tell…just like Victoria tried to tell us. Although we wouldn't listen until it was too late."

She sneered. "He has blood on his hands, surely. But, he is the only one strong enough to kill Vaati. Paired with Victoria, of course." She clutched Link's hand and pulled him over to her gently, and then looked up to kiss him lightly. She sighed. "It's time…to…tell her." Link gulped. With shaky voice, he strained.

"Where is she…?" Zelda glared in Ganondorf's direction. His stomach leaped. He had been discovered. Her voiced turned sinister. With poison in her voice, she spat out,

"I don't know. Why don't we ask Ganondorf?"

Link looked confused. "Come on, coward," Zelda spat, venom dripping from every word, "Show your damn face."

Ganondorf sighed and swung through the window, landing on one knee on the blue tile. He looked up darkly, then stood. Link instantly rushed over to him and seized his neck. With no blade, Ganondorf noticed. Link's grip really had no effect on the King, but he wasn't even trying to get away. Link growled.

"Where. Is. My. Little. Girl." His eyes flashed Farore's green, but The King was not taken with her courage. Ganondorf flicked Link away with little effort, and turned to Zelda, pleading.

"Please. Help me. Victoria…she…" Zelda gasped, knowing.

"You gave her the pendant! AND LET HER TAKE IT OFF! THEN LEFT HER?"

"Please, I didn't know! I need you…listen, I didn't exactly get the heads-up you two did. All the Goddesses told me was I needed to find her and tell her what she was. She found her necklace, all on her own, so I told her about the Oracle in the necklace…and the Darkness…We need to help her! She's-"

Zelda facepalmed, groaning.

"I know what the Termina is wrong with her."

She started off towards the window. "Come on, you morons. We need to hurry." She turned around. "Link…bring the Mirror Shard." She turned on a dime and used her magic to change her appearance. In a flash of blue light, she was a Sheikah, just like John. She wore Blue body armor and a head covering. Her eyes changed from their crystal blue to a fierce red, not unlike Ganondorf's.

Link gasped, and as she jumped out of the window, whispered, "That gets me, every time." Ganondorf chuckled and, too, jumped out of the window. Link followed closely behind, albeit not as stealthily as the other two.

Eventually the threesome made it to Ganondorf's stone gates. Zelda became the princess once again, and turned to Ganondorf. She clutched his undershirt and spat out,

"If she's hurt in any way, shape, or form that is not a direct responsibility of the Light Force, I will do to you what has been done to her, ten thousand fold."

Ganondorf nodded, and was released. Under his breath, he added,

"Majora hath no fury like a woman scorned."

They continued tentatively through the wreckage, and relived the memories of centuries ago. Each of the chosen's marks glowed brightly in the presence of each other, and were highlighted by the darkness of the hour. Their footsteps echoed eerily as they reached their destination.

Zelda gasped…she could faintly feel Victoria's force. She ran in the door and saw her best friend lying on the ground, her light seemingly sucked out of her. The girl who once glowed with happiness was dull and white.  
>Zelda ran towards her and knelt down.<p>

"Oh…oh, Victoria…Speak to me…" Victoria smiled.

"Heyy…" She coughed. Victoria seemed to be in a trance-like state. As if she had just inhaled Deku Baba smoke. Zelda hissed at Link.

"Don't just stand there! Help me get her on the bed!"

Ganondorf watched in disbelief and guilt as he leaned against the wall. Link and Zelda fawned over Victoria against the coming sunrise, and he couldn't even go near her without fading.

Zelda looked at him, she shook her head, sighed, and motioned for him to come see. In a soft, motherly tone, she said, "She's…going to be alright. She's been overtaken by the Light, but her heart accepted it. As long as she doesn't summon her power…she should be fine." The Princess of Hyrule looked at Ganondorf, for once without contempt. "She…her thoughts are filled with memories…of you. How…?" Ganondorf cleared his throat.

"No idea…But I've been dreaming of a girl that looked like her…of the real Oracle of Light, I suppose." Zelda nodded.

"So I suppose you are the man of her dreams, then." That made Ganondorf smile…and Link wretched.

"I think not. Zelda, don't you think it would be wise to keep her as far from the man who put her in this state as possible?" Zelda looked down at her best friend, and slowly shook her head.

"Link…imagine if my father had said I couldn't be with you, simply because it was you who I revealed my identity to, all those years ago?" Link sighed.

"I…it's like Victoria is my daughter and my sister at the same time…we've been looking after her for so long." Ganondorf looked confused.

"H-How do feel like a father to her..? That's kind of creepy." Link and Zelda looked at each other for a long time before Zelda whispered,

"Just like you, we're very close to our past lives…the Triforce is taking over us in this world's time of need. The Heroes of Time, Winds, Ages and Seasons…our past lives…they are half of our lives. We take their qualities, their memories, everything. Just like you've had those dreams. Although, your dreams are a parallel life, not a past one." Ganondorf nodded.

"So that's why Ganon…" He looked up and stopped himself. It was not the time to tell them he was turning into a beast. "So, ahem, you gain motherly and fatherly instincts, and are already in love, at just seventeen because the Heroes never had children of their own, or even got to be married. The more you need the Triforce, the more dominant it becomes over you."

Zelda nodded solemnly and pushed some hair out of Victoria's face, who was now just sleeping, color already returning to her face. Ganondorf sighed and tried to rest a hand on his beloved's arm. Right through.

He shook his head.

"Zelda, may I ask you something?" Without taking her eyes off of Victoria, she responded quietly,

"Yes…"

"Please…help me get rid of my darkness. You know how I feel about Victoria…I just want her to feel the same…and I can only do that if she's not…the Oracle. My darkness haunts me, mocks me, and gives me painful flashbacks to His life…I hate it…I really do."

Zelda closed her eyes, no doubt asking the Goddess Nayru for advice.

"There is a way," she said, her eyes filling with blue light. Nayru gave her the words like Hestia had given Victoria hers. "I was afraid she would need this option to survive, but fortunately it is only optional. Ganondorf, the once Great Usurper, you must bring Victoria to the place where Light and Darkness meet. The Twilight."

Link and Ganondorf gasped. Nayru's Light erupted in Zelda's Triforce, her eyes, even her mouth. Just as Victoria had in Zora's domain, with Hestia's light.

"Link. I told Zelda to bring the shard of the Mirror of Twilight. Give it to me." Link nodded, and with a steady, brave hand, surrendered it to Zelda…uh…Nayru. She nodded in acknowledgement, and pulled out a small hand mirror from a hammerspace, missing a piece. "There are many mirrors to the Twilight realm. This one is used by only my sisters and I. Hestia is not even allowed to touch it…" She sighed, and dropped the mirror to the ground. Instead of shattering, it floated gracefully, and Nayru dropped the final piece into the mirror.

The mirror became a large light, and she stepped in. Nayrus light began to fade, and Zelda smiled.

"Coming?"

Ganondorf and Link looked at each other briefly, and rushed to step into the light. Zelda held out her hand, and pointed to the unconscious Victoria. Embarrassed, the two men hoisted her off the bed. Ganondorf face palmed. He couldn't even touch her. Link stuck his tongue out at the King and laughed at his threatening look. Looking down at his little girl, he smiled as he saw her peaceful dreaming. They stepped over to the light once more, and were teleported away…into the Twilight Realm.

Darkness pervaded their systems as they were released into the Twilight. Light beings like Link and Victoria would transform into spirits here, if it wasn't for the powers of the Goddesses. Instead, Link became a blue-eyed beast…a wolf. He looked down at his paws in panic, and Zelda petted him to assure he'd be fine. Victoria, on the other hand, fell to the ground. Link dived under her new form on his back…and fell under her new, cumbersome, body.  
>Victoria had become a golden-white doe. Zelda and Ganondorf gasped at her new form.<p>

Zelda looked at Victoria's new form and whispered, "Of course. Artemis' sacred animal; the deer. A symbol of Love, Peace, and Gentle Harmony." Ganondorf smiled.

"Just like Victoria." At that point, Ganondorf became worried that this meant Ganon would come out of him. He looked at Zelda. "Why aren't we…?" She shook her head.

"Your…animal…form is only invoked by evil. Mine, as well. They change in the Darkness of the Twilight because their hearts are meant to bring light." Ganondorf nodded, and looked to the kingdom before him.

"What…is this place…?" Zelda placed her hands behind her back and recounted the story taught at Hyrule Royal Academy.

"This place is the parallel dimension to the realm of Hyrule, a world of shadows and perpetual twilight whose only source of light comes from the two sacred orbs known as the Sols. It is the home world of the Twili, a race of shadow-beings descended from the Dark Interlopers that were banished from Hyrule to this strange new world as punishment for their attempted conquest of the Sacred Realm in an attempt to seize the Triforce. In the aftermath of the Interlopers' banishment, they evolved into the Twili race. The only link available to Hyrule, although there are many, between the Twilight Realm and Hyrule is the Mirror of Twilight, which is actually located in…the desert." She blushed, embarrassed. Ganondorf just coughed. The princess of Hyrule continued.

"It acts as the gateway between the two worlds, not unlike the link between Hyrule and Termina. While Hyrule resides in the World of Light and is lit by the Sun, the Twilight Realm exists in perpetual Twilight, with the Sols acting as the Twilight Realm's equivalent of the Sun."

Ganondorf wondered…what kind of special powers did they possess?

Zelda bent down to greet the awakened Victoria, who did not seem too worried about her new form. Or perhaps she was still half asleep and had no idea what was going on. Her eyes seemed glazed over, and she was up in the air. Zelda smiled and lead the animals toward the massive, black castle.  
>Flecks of Twilight permeated the air. Everything was bathed in a serene darkness…the Twili, speaking in their language, could only utter incomprehensible moans to the Royal party. Their people were black and white, with eerie red eyes. None had any hair, and only closely resembled humans at all.<br>Zelda approached the gate to the Palace of Twilight, and pressed the door with her hand…there was no effect. Bewildered, she stepped back, and asked Nayru for direction…

But none came. Nayru was not the Goddess of the Twili…Zelda wracked her mind for an answer. The doe Victoria stepped up to the welcome mat, and a golden triangle was lit on her forehead. Her silver spots glowed as well. The Princess gasped. 'Of course,' she thought, 'Victoria is light…a key in this realm…' The door opened, and a Twili elevator appeared before them. Zelda picked up the ditzy Victoria, and all four were on the elevator…They were raised up and up and up, until they came to a large indention in the wall where the grand door to the throne room.

Zelda put down Victoria, who walked over to the door. Once again, her forehead and spots lit up and the door opened dramatically. Zelda walked in front, Victoria and Link next to her. Ganondorf was trailing behind, his thoughts pondering all things of the Twili. Their power, their culture, their magic.  
>The foursome came to the throne, where the Queen of Twilight sat. They all bowed in her presence. Her blue skin was a bit darker than all the others, her long, beautiful, red hair tied traditionally in front of her chest. She wore a long, black cloak much like Ganondorf's, and the crown of the Twili upon her head. Her head resting on her fist, she sighed, uninterested.<p>

"Welcome to the Twilight realm. I am Queen Midna." Her attitude unchanging, she stood. "You sure are an interesting bunch. What brings you…" She saw Victoria and Link, and nodded. "I see you have an Oracle of Light…as well as the supposed savior of the Twilight." Zelda smiled.

"Yes…she is very-"

Midna laughed. "Okay. First, I'll need them to be in their true forms." Zelda stepped forward.

"No!" embarrassed, she added, "I-I mean…if we do, then she is in great danger." The Queen shook her head.

"No she's not. Watch." She swung her hands around, and called forth the Princess, nearly identical to Midna, sans the princess' black hair.

"Yeah, Mom?" The Princess was an ill-mannered teenager, much like her mother at that age. Zelda smiled.  
>"Not a very formal setting, I'll say," she murmured to Ganondorf, who chuckled at the joke. Midna smirked as well, her ears picking up the joke.<p>

"Well, Leslina, I asketh thee to bring forth the Royal Sols. Make haste, as our guests are waiting." Leslina looked confused.

"The F* are you talking about, mom?" An uproar of laughter exploded from everyone in presence.

"Just get the damn sols, Leslina." The princess shrugged and went off into a left wing of the palace. Midna walked forward gracefully and bent down to Victoria. "What happened with this one?" Zelda sighed. "So she was attacked by the power of the Light Force then…she's lucky to be alive, isn't she?" Ganondorf let out a deep breath.

"She is…and it's all my fault." Midna stood and touched Ganondorf's cheek, smirking.

"You love her don't you?" Blushing madly, Ganondorf stammered.

"Wh-what? H-how cou-could I…I j-j-just met her…"

The Queen laughed gleefully. In a singsong voice, she mocked him.

"Ganondorf and Victoria, sitting in a tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love-oh wait. You can't even touch each other, can you?" She cackled evilly. Once again, she went up to Ganondorf and touched his cheek. "Don't worry, I can fix that," she whispered. Then, the cocky queen moved to Wolf Link.

"Aw. What a cute puppy. You know, in my kingdom, there is a legend that tells of a blue eyed beast who will save the realm…we never needed him though. No such evil has been here in…ever."

Link barked, and Midna stood up. She winked at Zelda.

"Fun friends, aren't they, Princess?"

"How…do you know who I am?" Midna smirked.

"Eh. I know a lot of things, honey. Your tiara isn't exactly unnoticeable."

At that moment, Leslina stepped in with two Twili guards, who each wielded a blinding ball of light. Almost immediately, Victoria and Link were themselves again. Leslina gave an annoyed sigh and exited stage right, along with her servants.

Victoria fell back into comatose, with Link to catch her. Midna smiled and brushed some mangled hair out of the sleeping Oracle's face.

"So…she's adjusting. She can't take the necklace off though. She'll die." Ganondorf stepped forward, and did a small bow.

"Uh…is there a way…" The words escaped him, so he tried to touch his love. His hands went right through. Midna nodded.

"You're missing your dark half. You're only half a man. You just need to get that half back, is all."

"B-but with that half…I am evil. More than evil I am…I…" he hung his head, and Zelda nodded in agreement. Midna sighed.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Everyone has a little darkness in them, except for ditzy miss sleepyhead and wolf boy here. They're made of light. You, now, do not. All you've gotta do is get your other half back from the sacred realm." The King of Evil opened his mouth again, but he was stopped. "In order to keep dominance over your evils, you have to denounce them from your soul. You have to prove you have no intention of returning to evil."

"How do I do that?"

Zelda bowed her head.  
>"You have to kill your brother-in-arms, Ganondorf," she whispered. "You have to kill Vaati."<p>

Ganondorf gasped. Their truce, partnership…Vaati might have been friends with Ganon, but was their friendship validated now? The memories rushed back. After more and more of their meetings, they became closer and closer…best friends, even.

Dumbfounded, Ganondorf's mouth was agape.

"H-How do I…I mean, he's my…" Midna shrugged.

"Easy. Take this," she held up a obsidian dagger, "and shove it through his manly-man cape." The King shook his head.

"N-No that's not what I meant! I obviously know how to kill him, I mean…" he looked at Zelda, stifling a smirk in such a serious moment. He took a deep breath. "I owe that man my life…to kill him would be to kill a part of me."

"That's the point, dumb ass. You're renouncing all ties to your past life. And, you have to use this. This is the one thing in the universe-" Ganondorf cut her off.

"No, its not. The four sword can as well, as can I. See, as many times as I have saved him, our blood is intertwined. If I die, he dies as well."

Zelda gasped.

"But if you kill Vaati, Victoria will-"

"No, I wont die if he does. I do not owe him my life by law of land. He owes me his though. My life, soul, spirit, all still belong to the goddesses." Midna sighed.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by such useless knowledge, this is the one thing that can kill him and-wait for it, Ganny-restore your life." Zelda looked at the two of them.

"What about the attacks? We all know Vaati is back in town, and he's searching for Victoria-for the light force. We need her to expel his dark magic for good, let alone kill him so Ganondorf may rise again. We couldn't tell her before. Now we can, since she's already been freaking put in terrible danger more than twice in one day because of us waiting too long to tell her." Midna shook her head.

"So? It'll let him come to you guys. No seven levels, no bosses, just a waiting game. It's not even like Victoria over here is dying."

Zelda gasped.

"Oh my Gods. We need to summon Victoria's powers to kill Vaati once and for all, don't we?" Ganondorf winced, and Link sprinted over with the still sleeping Victoria in tow.

"I-I thought if we used her power, she'd-" Link got choked up, and Midna was left deep in thought.

"Well, in order to wake her up, she has to be in mortal danger…" Link growled.

"What the Majora? Why does this have to be so damned difficult?"

Midna sneered in his direction.

"You've conquered entire empires of his," she said pushing Ganondorf playfully, "and you think putting your friend in danger is difficult?" The queen made a face. "That came out wrong."

Zelda smiled.

"I guess, the will of the Gods be done…"

Link sighed…Ganondorf clenched his fist in front of him. His head ached. In a commanding voice, he pointed toward his love.

"Boy, take her." His eyes narrowed maliciously. "It's time for my final kill." Ganondorf threw his new blade in the air and let it spin before catching it casually by the blade.

Link flinched at the order. He and Victoria had issues about people telling them what to do. Still, the kinght did as he was told. Zelda and Midna shared a knowing glance, and watched as Ganondorf walked toward the gate, Link shortly behind. The King's Triforce was glowing.

Zelda bid a quick farewell to her new friend and went towards the mirror of twilight.

"Wait!" Midna called, "Take this!" She threw a ball of darkness at Zelda.

"What…?" She wondered aloud as it landed gracefully in her arms. The ball was no larger than her palm, but the mark of the Twili was on it…it had to be more powerful than anything. Maybe even more powerful than Vaati. She pressed the dot in the center of the mark. The ball opened and shut quickly. Zelda gasped. It was to contain the mage's spirit.

She smirked. They just might win this battle after all. The Princess of Hyrule ran and jumped in the vortex that was the Mirror of Twilight. She closed her eyes and waited to be back in the Mirror's Chamber in Hyrule. Her lids flicked open when she was met with the blistering wind of the Gerudo Mesa once more…but there was something different. Her eyes scoured the circular hall for her friends. They were no where…

The door to the chamber was slightly ajar, so she stepped through it. Link and Ganondorf stood in awe, their mouths agape. Victoria lay in a heap by Link's feet. Zelda looked to where they were staring.  
>The entire Gerudo Mesa had become black. Black waves of burning hot sand. Bits and pieces of some Gerudo women lay in the sand. Ganondorf fell to his knees…<p>

"My…My homeland…my family." His voice cracked. "Everything I worked so hard to protect…" His eyes flashed a bright Din's crimson. His tears dried and he bit his lip till it bled. Dark, metallic life fled from the mark. He wiped it away with the back of his hand in anger.

"Oh. No. He. Didn't."

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><p>From teh Author:<p>

^^YES. I finally learned how to do that. . I'll put in new stuff with this spacebar now.  
>So, Hm, let's sayy...Trivia :) In this chapter:<p>

Oh, Ha. In case you didn't notice, i'm setting Vaati up for the Peter/Jesus rejection in the next chapter! Which, is done, by the way. Powerless itself has been done for a long time, i've just been lazy. I actually forgot about it, and then i got an alert that someone reviewed, so i was like...eh. I'll do everything up to the last chapter. to irritate them :D

Well, I love you guys:) thanks for sticking with me through all 20 chapters. I got the numbers messed up but, whatever XD You all rock for standing by me. Please let me know how it looks, from the outside !

Love, Ruby


	17. Ending3

Okay, guys, last chapter! :D :D Aren't you excited to see Vaati be fabulously executed? ;D

Now, THIS CHAPTER HAS SPOILERS(LIKE, ENDING SPOILERS) for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in it.

JUST LETTING YOU KNOW. :) I played Skyward Sword, and just thought it was...amazing3 So I just, really, really, really, wanted some stuff from there included. Vaati's character strays, but he's more as how I always imagined him. Crazy, Sadistic, and Fabulous. He _is_ a lot like Ghirahim, though.

Okay, preliminary filler over. Enjoy, you guys. I love youuu 33

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><p>19.<p>

"So I see you've noticed my redecoration, haven't you, Ganny-poo?" A maliciously sadistic voice of a maliciously sadistic man echoed from behind the group. Ganondorf spun around and lunged at the sound. Link and Zelda looked for a physical being to connect to the voice, but none could be found. Ganondorf stood there in the center of the chamber, snarling and searching for prey.  
>"Come out!" He bellowed, "Come out and fight like a man!" The voice giggled, and made Ganondorf's eyes glow. The sickeningly sweet noise spoke once more,<br>"And get killed? Heavens no! I see your obsidian blade, Ganny." It paused. "I thought we had a deal?" Gandondorf's eyes became a piercing blood-red. His quarry still invisible, he clenched his fists and looked up at the blackened sky.  
>"The deal ended the second you tried to hurt Victoria. When you destroyed my home. You killed what little family I daresay I had left."<br>Zelda gasped in realization. "Vaati…" she breathed.  
>The voice chuckled again. "Yes, my dear Zelda. It is I." Zelda blinked, and a figure appeared before her. Donned in a purple tunic and cap covering silver hair much like Link's own green and blonde, he stood inches from her face and looked up at her through his silver eyelashes. His crimson eyes glistened like pools of blood. Like the blood shed of the innocent he had slaughtered. A smirk spread on his pointed face.<br>"Missed me?"  
>Ganondorf snarled loudly and pounced towards the mage. But his image vanished. Ganondorf stood, ready to attack, where his rival had been, not two seconds ago. His blade nearly slicing Zelda's heart.<br>Link drew his sword.  
>"Where do you think you're going, punk!"<br>Vaati disappeared, and, like a foul breeze, he sang in Zelda's ear,  
>"Who's watching the girl…?" Zelda whipped around to find Victoria's body gone. She gasped, and stepped back. Link once again raised his sword, and let the almighty power of the goddesses fill the Master Sword and shine through the growing darkness.<br>"Let's go, you little twerp!" Vaati's voice was high above them, and he emerged once more, balancing on air…with Victoria hanging by her necklace. Zelda could see where the golden chain dug into her tanned little neck…  
>"Let Victoria go, you monster!" The Mage shook his head.<br>"Tsk tsk, Princess. Know you not how to negotiate with hostile criminals?" He swung the girl around, taunting her loved ones on the ground. Ganondorf jumped a powerful jump, nearly reaching the sadistic mage, but not quite. Vaati smirked again, and twirled Victoria around till she was in his arms in a tango position. "Oh, look, Ganny. I can touch your girlfriend all I want! You Jelly? You mad, Bro?" He threw his head back in a satisfactory howl of laughter. Ganondorf raged, his blood boiling.  
>"Put her down this instant!" Link roared.<br>"Put her down this instant!" Vaati mocked, "Like this?" He dropped the girl ten feet before swooping in to save her. Everyone else gasped, and dove for her…but it wasn't enough. The mage cackled. "Whoops! I guess not!" He showed his neon white, jagged teeth. His brow ruffled as he thought for a moment.  
>"Or maybe…"<br>Vaati held Victoria by the small of her back and the neck, and slowly, passionately, exaggeratedly, kissed her.  
>Ganondorf threw the blade as hard as the Triforce of power would let him. It swung past Vaati, but instead cut a tiny nick in Victoria's arm…blood trickled down the length of her unconscious limb. The mage took a single finger and collected a drop of blood. He set it on his lips, and grinned like the monster he was. His eyes glowed lavender, and he floated down to the ground. He snapped Victoria's necklace off of her neck, and held it proudly above his head.<br>"She won't be needing, this now, will she?"  
>Her body began to convulse violently in his left arm. She shook and shook, her bones twisting and snapping at impossible angles.<p>

Zelda screamed in terror. Link and Ganondorf stood there in a paralyzed rage.  
>"Why. Can't. I. Move." Link's voice growled. His arms, legs, and eyelids were frozen in place. So were Zelda and Ganondorf's.<br>"No! Victoria! I…What is going on!" She cried helplessly. "We're the good guys! How can this be happening?" Vaati's cackle invaded the air again.  
>He saw his prisoners flinch. The seal on them wasn't strong enough here. They would break free at any moment. He knew Ganondorf would be able to anyway. Perhaps, in another realm, another place, where his magic would be magnified, he could control them much longer. Or avoid having them meddle at all. But where? The mage thought for a moment.<br>Of course. He opened up a portal using the corrupted Picori magic sealed within his hat, and took a step toward it. Then Vaati stopped.  
>"You really think you're the good guys. Who exactly are you helping? The man who tried to take the Triforce away from the royal family? The one who threatened all of Hyrule?" He paused, and with a frown, added, "More than twice? I'm sorry, I just don't see it. Now, if you want to watch your precious little girl be executed, then follow me. Just know that it is useless to try and stop me." His last words were mocking. As if he were inviting them to try and stop his procession. As if he needed the audience.<br>As if he wanted to be stopped.  
>The Wind Mage hoisted the now still Victoria over his left shoulder and strolled through his portal. A flash of silver light flashed from the open rip of space.<br>They were gone.  
>Zelda, her throat sore and face wet from crying, dropped to her knees. The paralysis had been lifted. She whispered, "I was only following the instruction of the Goddesses…I-I…" Ganondorf grunted.<br>"There's no time to be depressed about this. We need to save Victoria." Link sheathed his sword and, while massaging his left arm, added,  
>"He's probably going to the Palace of Winds, in the Realm of the Heavens. His magic is amplified ten thousand fold there."<br>"That only means we have only such precious time." Expressionless, Ganondorf started off toward the portal.  
>"Coming?" He tossed over his shoulder.<br>The Knight and his love looked at each other briefly. Zelda stood. The pair rushed over to the portal.  
>"Wait." Zelda stopped. "What if this is a trap…he cannot resurrect a Goddess of Light within Victoria. Victoria is only the oracle. He would need a mind-blowing force of…power…" she trailed off and looked straight into Ganondorf's eyes.<br>"You knew…" Barely a whisper.  
>The King looked down.<br>"He…he would talk about his plans. But I was so ignorant, I did not know…Nay. Zelda, please. You know that was not really me!"  
>Link growled and pounced at Ganondorf, grabbing his chest-plate.<br>"What is that fool planning to do." It was not a question. It was a command. Ganondorf pushed Link down and buried his face in his hands.  
>"Make Victoria a Goddess, and then steal her power. Perhaps even the powers of the Golden Goddesses. He'll use me do to so; I have to stop him."<br>"No," sneered the Princess, "Only Victoria can stop him. Only she can weaken him enough to kill him…she only wants you to finish him to 'prove yourself' to the Goddesses." She spat at him. "How foolish." Enraged became Ganondorf.  
>"You don't get it, Princess. You never understand anything until it's too late."<br>He continued, "Victoria is dead. She can only be brought back if she is made immortal. The Goddess of Light. If I can take advantage of that small window of time before he begins his murder, I can bring your girl back." Zelda was silent, and the three made their way into the portal.

The Palace of Winds' chamber was dark. Not quite devoid of light, but still eerily dark nonetheless. When the threesome finally entered, they heard His laughter. He chuckled endlessly, but was not easily visible whatsoever.  
>Finally, Link powered up the Master Sword and brought light to the room. Vaati was revealed, standing over Victoria's hovering body. His sickening voice penetrated the air.<br>"Oh my. How lovely to see you all again."  
>Link lunged at Vaati. The mage just frowned, shook his head, and snapped his fingers.<br>"Freeze." Link was stuck in midair, his hand clutching the hilt of the master sword over his head. Zelda and Ganondorf were paralyzed again as well. They couldn't look away or even blink.  
>They were all forced to watch Victoria's resurrection and execution. Vaati looked up from his post.<br>"Now, let me explain, my dear Princess." Vaati took Victoria's unconscious hand and stood her up. "This young girl," he waved her arm, "was built and created for the sole purpose of cleansing all evil spirits…the only reason she was born was the whim of that thing over there." He molded her hand and made the girl point to Ganondorf.  
>The King's head would've hung, a hot lump of anger forming in his throat. "He wanted out of prison, so they brought this. Offering. To. Their King. What kind of Goddesses follow the orders of a demon? Hell, Hylia did a better job of protecting her people, for Majora's sake! The Golden Goddesses, and their infernal love for all the humans in this forsaken world, thought that by sparing this evil, they were doing good? What!" His voice rose. "Do you understand how this made me feel inside?" Clenching his fist in front of him, doubling over in anger, he scowled.<br>"How disgusting. This girl was born, made, raised, like a pig for slaughter. The chances of her heart accepting the divine powers of the Light Force were arbitrary. The Goddesses didn't care! They still do not! Who are you people kidding? She was made to be pure, to save Ganondorf, to kill me…which I never understood how she would do so. So, of course the Goddesses instructed all of you to enable her and take me away…but, maybe, since I'm winning…perhaps the Goddesses Changed their minds…You know, She's not much, if you think about it." Vaati cradled Victoria's head in his large hands. "Yet she is so precious to you all…maybe I can take her as my own, once her force has been drained. Perhaps as a trophy, of sorts."  
>Ganondorf's eyes flared at the insult toward his love, and he began to slowly regain his strength, to which the mage did not seem to take notice. Vaati closed his eyes, and took a moment to mull this over. Then they flashed open. Their blood-red ruthlessness brighter than ever.<br>"Then again. She's a pathetic, worthless, little girl." With every word, he spat out his venom…  
>"I wouldn't be surprised if the Goddesses had made a mistake! Look at her! I thought the Oracle was supposed to be a woman of great beauty! Maybe her transfiguration will change her dreadful appearance. It's a shame I didn't get to meet the real girl. Who knows? Maybe she'd come to love me…she does have a habit for picking up trash." The sadistic mage ran his silvery hand through her hair. Ganondorf's Triforce resonated.<br>"Pathetic little thing. I almost feel bad for her. She'll have to die tonight…" She was putty in his hands, a ball of skin and bones, she was rolling around in his arms.  
>It almost seemed as if he was trying to…<br>Ganondorf snapped.  
>His eyes were filled with pure fury. Bloodlust. He let out a wild roar that rattled the crumbling palace walls.<br>He broke from his paralysis and struck the invisible barrier, breaking it, apparently. Vaati smirked, just as the King leaped and grabbed Vaati by the neck violently, pushing him down to the ground, crushing his chest. Victoria floated to the side gently. Ganondorf growled mercilessly,  
>"Give me one reason I shouldn't torture you before killing you." The cocky mage replied, trying to buy time,<br>"Why should you?" Ganondorf's eyes glowed a blood red, his Triforce resonating as well.  
>"You. Little. Prick."<br>Vaati coughed, struggled for words.  
>"W-what did I…?"<br>Ganondorf pushed harder on his chest. There was a faint and sickening crack. Zelda would have shuddered if she and Link could move their bodies. Vaati yelped in pain.  
>Then came Demise.<br>The King's eyes glowed a fierce red. His fingers emitted the same light, and his nails grew into sharp claws. His armor split as his body morphed and grew. It all fell to the ground, leaving him in only his tattered Gerudo Rags. Tanned skin blackened, auburn hair tempered fire-red. Demise smirked at the fear in Vaati's eyes.  
>Link on the other hand, gasped. He hadn't seen this side of Ganon in a thousand years. The side of Ganon sealed within the master sword. Demise, the true demon King, true dark lord and true master of all evil. The embodiment of all hatred, fury, rage.<br>He was "defeated" by a The Hero of the Skies, who had come, even before the creation of Hyrule. Defeated was obviously not the right word.  
>Demise pulled up the wind mage by his silver hair. Demise toyed with Vaati for a bit, apathetically assaulting him. Without a word, Demise sent Vaati hurdling into the air and then brought him back down with incredible impact. There was a dent in the ground. With forceful steps, Demise found Vaati's body. Demise looked hungrily at the mage.<br>"Perfect," Demise snarled, "I haven't had a kill in ages."  
>"No. She should…she's…" Demise pushed harder onto Vaati's throat, slightly cracking his collarbone.<br>Then he heard a voice. It made him sick to his stomach. The demon Demise turned. Demise saw Ganondorf's angel.  
>"Stop it. Both of you." Like a mother commanding her children, Victoria rose. Her eyes glowed gold, and her golden aura sparkled around her. She was…radiant.<br>A Goddess.  
>Her entire likeness changed in a flash of light. Her red, tattered and dirty dress became a silken pure silver. Standing tall and proud, she waved her arm across her body. Demise was caught off guard, and knocked slightly to the side. Demise watched in such fury, pulsations emanated from him.<br>"This. Is my job." She spat. The mage sat up, struggling to catch his breath. Demise waited in impatient disgust.  
>"So. There you are," the mage's voice was strained. He stood, smirking and clutching is chest, "are you here to serve your master?"<br>Link and Zelda gasped.  
>"What!" exclaimed the Princess. In an expressionless stupor, Victoria, ignoring Zelda, walked over to Vaati and bent down to one knee. She bowed her head in exaltation. The mage smirked.<br>In vain.  
>In a rush of movement, Victoria's right arm shot up to his ear and yanked him up. In the sultry air, he swung gently.<br>"Who do you think I am, punk?"  
>Link and Zelda smiled.<br>"That's our girl," Link whispered. Vaati was awestruck and struggled to break free from her grasp.  
>"I-I don't understand! The Light Force-"<br>"Is under my command. And only mine." She thrust him to the floor. "To think I would ever follow anyone's orders, let alone yours, was foolish. The Legends you so foolishly believed…I laugh at them. Enabling the Light Force makes you its master? Never." Don't think your sac religion towards the goddesses will go unpunished." She turned to Zelda, expecting something. Victoria had broken the paralysis on her friends.  
>Zelda was dumbfounded.<br>"What do I do?" Link shook his head and rummaged through a pocket in his love's dress. He pulled out the ball of darkness and chucked it to Victoria's waiting palm. "Oh." Zelda sighed, and panicked once again,  
>"But what about the blade!" She looked around quickly before she realized it had materialized in Victoria's right fist.<br>The Goddess held the obsidian dagger with a white-knuckled grasp as the wind mage whimpered and begged for mercy. Bearing both her own and Hestia's voice, she said this before striking the mage.  
>"Having an appearance, or even power indeed of godliness, but denying the power thereof….for someone you care for…" She looked to…Ganondorf, Zelda, and Link. "That. Is true love." She paused.<br>"I am a Goddess now, yes? The Goddess of Light…I could kill you instantly. No. I'd prefer to torture you."  
>Victoria's hand came crashing down into the mage's throat.<br>"Say goodbye, to the vows you faked."  
>Vaati shrieked in terror. The power of the Triforce of Light resonated on Victoria's right hand. She was keeping him alive…<br>"Say goodbye, to the lives you took," she sang, letting the blade run down his chest, ripping his cloak, thread by thread, ripping his skin, inch by inch. She pulled it up,  
>"Say goodbye, to the hearts you break," She plunged the knife into his heart, letting his black blood surface and spew, splattering her skin, and staining his. His voice, of pure agony, echoed in the empty chamber.<br>"Why…wont you let me die!" He cried out in tears, his voice barely audible through the painful yelps he emitted. His pain was so intimate, so pure…she smirked.  
>"Funny. Seems the people you murdered said the same things while you tortured them." Victoria's eyes flashed golden and silver, as she growled once more, and stabbed him once more in the stomach.<br>"And say goodbye, to all the Cyanide you drank." Vaati spat blood into her face.  
>"I am immortal, you fool. From the blood of the innocent, from the power of the goddesses, I do not know. But I am still alive; therefore I must be immortal! You could torture me all you want, but nothing could ever kill me, the great Vaati!" Victoria's eyes shot up, looking for Ganondorf to finish the job she had started. Instead, she saw Demise standing. He looked at her in disgust.<br>"What?" Demise remarked. Victoria was a bit taken aback, not knowing about Demise's appearance. "Are you ready to die, beautiful?"  
>"Who are you?"<br>"The King. Of Demons." The light faded in Victoria's eyes, and they became her chocolate brown once again.  
>"No…" she whispered, "you're not…" Link took a hurried step toward Victoria, in an attempt to protect her. Zelda stuck out a hand to stop him. The ordinary girl took a step towards Demise. Then another. She was not afraid.<br>Demise sneered. "Ganondorf is gone, you insolent foo-" Demise's knees buckled slightly. "What…what is this blasphemy!" The Triforce, still on his hand, blinked.  
>Demise was doubled over, coincidentally reaching Victoria's height. She raised a hand tenderly to Demise's face, caressing it. Demise jerked his head away, but she pulled him back. Pressing her forehead to that of Demise, she murmured.<br>"Please…Ganondorf, come back to me…I know you're in there…I…I…I love you…"  
>Her lips found Ganondorf's. Demise rejected and protested at first, but Ganondorf took over. He melted into Victoria's arms. His girl.<br>Ganondorf came back, little by little. His hair darkened, skin lightened, claws to nails, grimace to smile. Left in his Gerudo rags, he wrapped his arms around Victoria. Their kiss deepened and grew passionate, perfect.  
>Link coughed, and the two sheepishly separated.<br>They walked back to Vaati's body, his chest still struggling to expand even a millimeter. The Goddess scoffed.  
>"Only you can take his life. You own it."<br>"Ganondorf…old friend…" He whimpered, "I beg of you, let this be the last time you save my life…Please…" The King looked Vaati square in the eyes, then back at his love.  
>"Woman, believe me, I do not know the man," He said, more to himself than to her.<br>The blade still in his stomach, Vaati moaned in pain.  
>Ganondorf sighed to his love. "I am so sorry, for causing all of this…"<br>"Shut up and go get saved," Victoria said, playfully nudging his arm. Ganondorf solemnly nodded and took the ball from her hand. Still being overdramatic and in absolute rapture, Vaati's soul, the same murky cloud of evil that had infected Jakob, Darunia, Mikhailnia, and who knows how many countless others, left the mage's body for good. It went into the ball, and the ball sealed itself.  
>The now captured soul of Vaati tried to break free, and the ball shook back and forth three times before coming to a dormant halt. The group breathed a heavy sigh, and Link and Zelda came rushing to Victoria's side and tackled her in a warm embrace.<br>"Oh! My poor baby!" Zelda cried, exasperated. "I had no idea you were capable of…you know what, forget it. I'm just so happy you're safe!" Zelda pulled back, took Victoria's face in her hands, and suddenly…something came over her. Her eyes opened wide, glowed bright blue, and then faded back to normal…She seemed to be a new Zelda, and even seemed younger…  
>"Daddy's gonna be so happy to see you!" She said, smiling like crazy. Link sighed, patted Zelda's head, and said,<br>"Looks like it's time to let you guys go…" Ganondorf looked confused, but his girl smiled.  
>"You were great help, and now you've finally lived your lives. I can't believe I got to meet the Hero of Time!"<br>"And, ahem, the Hero of Winds, Skies, everything else, you know." They shared a laugh, "Well, I got to meet the Oracle of-I mean the Goddess of light! And now your Link and Zelda can live their lives as well…" The green-clad hero smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. While in the hug, he, too, went through the passing of spirits, and became hyped up…became his teenaged self again.  
>"Hot damn! That was sick, Victoria! Where'd you learn to kill like that! I mean, uh, I taught that to ya, right?" The girl giggled, and Zelda even held her man close.<br>"Ganondorf," The Princess whispered, "I'm sorry for ever doubting you…You truly have changed, and now we've just gotta prove it to the Goddesses…" The King smiled, and tried to take Victoria's black-bloodstained hand…  
>"Not again! Please! I've seen enough traumatizing events today, I don't need my sister making out with my worst enemy again!" Link burst out, laughing.<br>Thankful for the comic relief, so did Zelda…then Ganondorf and Victoria burst into hysterics…  
>"You know what," Victoria stated, "I am starving…But I doubt that is our top priority!" Everyone stared at her. She casually pulled out a bottle of blue potion. The weird looks sparked her sarcastic remark, "What? I just killed a man! I'm freakin' exhausted!" She tossed the empty bottle to the side and jumped into Ganondorf's arms. Link and Zelda gave her a strange look. "Don't judge me! I'm the Goddess of Light, bitches!"<br>And soon, the chamber of the Mirror of Twilight became filled with laughter, and even the ruins of the Arbiter's grounds shook with happiness. On the Horizon, the sun rose for a new day. The desert became a hot mesa again, bright and, well, sandy. But it was no longer harbored by evil. It brought a new beginning. A clean slate.  
>It's a funny thing, love. Such a power, such divine grace. It is the worst pain possible; yet<p>

the greatest joy as well. Love has the power to manipulate, to control. Love has the power to kill. Love is the power of birth.  
>Love is always pure and innocent, passionate and deadly. Love transcends time.<br>Love is evil, love is grace.  
>But even the most evil being in existence was rendered powerless.<br>By love.

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><p>OHMYGOSH3 HOW WAS IT!<p>

I really really tried to make the "fight" exciting, but I do realize I can't do fights. MY strongest weakness is describing a fight. *Anyone remember fighting with Jakob? (Or did i rename him Klay in this version?)* Like, I have no idea how. I've read hundreds(okay, exaggerating) of books that describe a fight-yet i still suck at it. Any help? :D

Alright, my desperate plea for attention over, I'm so happy to have finally completed _Powerless. _As almost none of you know, I put this story up a very long time ago(like, 3 years ago!), and it's plot was going in a different direction! I opened it up after such a long time and rewrote it to adapt to my new-found writing abilities(:

Please let me know what you think, give me some advice, let me know if I should continue, ect.

Now, there is an epilogue. It's optional and very, very, very, very cheesy. I considered comparing it to something on Lifetime, but decided against it. It has some canonical errors with the series, but its fanfiction. Who cares. I'll put it up eventually, alright?

Thanks guys3  
>As always, Love,<p>

Ruby(:


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